


Unmei no Hito

by LunaClefairy



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bodyswap, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, Rarepair, Red String of Fate, Soulmates, Your Name AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-03-26 07:13:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 40,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13852716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaClefairy/pseuds/LunaClefairy
Summary: A person you are fated to meet, connected by the red string that spans time and space. That is your soulmate. Takumi grew up hearing such stories and never believed a word of it. Not until he woke up one morning as a girl with some blue-haired idiot walking in on him.





	1. Chapter 1

"A fated person?"

The five children looked up at their mother, all wearing curious expressions. The youngest had been the one to ask the question, though it rested on all of their minds.

"That's right," said Mother. "Everyone is meant to meet at least one other person that will change their life forever. When a person is born, the gods tie a special red string to his or her little finger. That string connects two people who are destined to meet, no matter the distance. The string may tangle or snag, but it will never break."

"I don't see any strings," the second son grumbled.

"Of course you don't. Only the gods can see and touch them. But a few lucky people learned about their fated ones long before their lives intertwined."

"Like who?" asked the blue-haired middle daughter.

"That's what today's story is about. A young boy was walking home after a long day of fishing. On his way, he saw an ugly, skinny old dog lying on the side of the road. Taking pity on the poor creature, he offered it some of his fish. The dog eagerly ate the fish, and to the boy's amazement, it turned into a man. For that was no dog, but rather a god, and he wished to reward the boy for his kindness. So the god revealed the boy's red thread and showed who it was connected to: a young girl who lived in the boy's village. The god explained that this girl was going to be the boy's wife."

"Then what happened?" the youngest child pressed.

Mother smiled before continuing. "The boy, being young and having no interest in marriage, thought this a pointless reward. So he threw a rock at the girl before running home."

"If a boy did that to me, I'd punch him in the face, fated one or not," snarled the oldest daughter.

"Now, now, Hinoka," chided Mother. "You can't solve all your problems with violence. Besides, the story doesn't end there."

"Sorry…" Hinoka said sheepishly.

"That's our warrior princess for you!" laughed the oldest son. "Please continue, Mother."

"Many years passed, and the boy grew into a handsome young man. His parents arranged a wedding for him, and he was delighted to discover that his betrothed was the most beautiful woman in the village. On their first night as husband and wife, the woman removed all of her jewelry except a piece covering her left eyebrow. The man asked why she continued to wear it, and she explained that when she was a young girl, a boy threw a rock that struck her and left a scar on her eyebrow. She had hidden it ever since by using her jewelry. And so the woman was in fact the same girl the god revealed that the boy was connected to in his childhood."

"What a wonderful story," remarked the middle daughter.

"It sounds stupid to me," grunted the second son.

"Takumi!" yelled the other children.

The boy flinched, but pressed on. "But why would you marry someone you don't know or even like that much? I wouldn't want to be stuck with someone who threw a rock at me forever."

"Fate works in strange ways, Takumi," said Mother. "You'll understand when you're older."

"You always say that," pouted Takumi. "How much older do I have to be?"

He only received a big smile and a few giggles as his answer. Takumi huffed, placing his head in his hands. Maybe his siblings enjoyed mushy stories like that, but he wasn't buying it. Soulmates. The very notion was ludicrous, and the story even more so. Gods didn't exist. Red strings of fate didn't exist. And soulmates definitely didn't exist.

* * *

Takumi let out a small groan, fighting the desire to roll over and fall back asleep. What a strange dream for him to have now of all times. He felt both sadness and longing for those innocent days of storytelling with Mother and his siblings. Such fleeting memories of happiness were all but gone nowadays. Mikoto was dead and his family divided. Although Corrin swore that the true enemy wasn't Nohr, he still had his doubts. Trying to unite two opposing armies was a fool's dream-and Corrin was the only moron dumb enough to attempt it. If it weren't for Izana's dying wish, he never would have joined her. Corrin's reasons were vague and flawed at best, yet he didn't have the heart to leave Sakura alone. She was the main reason he stayed with the mishmashed group of Hoshidans and Nohrians.

He stretched out his limbs, feeling oddly sore as his muscles protested against the movement. He rubbed his tired eyes, willing them to open. Eyelashes fluttered as slowly adjusted to the morning light. Once he could see, he immediately woke up.

This wasn't his tent. Granted, it was still a tent, but not  _his_ tent. His tent was small and mostly bare, with the clothes on his back and his Fujin Yumi being his only possessions that would occupy the space. This tent was somewhat bigger, with a small stack of books sitting in the corner. A purple cloak was haphazardly thrown to the side, lying in a crumpled pile next to his futon. Actually, there was no futon. Just a simple linen blanket that did nothing to soften the pointed edges of rocks digging into his back. With an aggravated sigh, he sat upright. His spinal cord cracked loudly in protest, but he ignored it. The barest hint of sunlight streamed through the tent flaps, indicating it was still the early morning hours in the astral plane. He was about to get up, intending to give whoever did this prank a piece of his mind, when he felt something  _bounce_. Something that most definitely should not have been there.

He looked down, his train of thought ending instantly.

What should have been a flat chest… was rising up. His hands rose against his will, taking hold of the two orbs and giving them a slight squeeze. That simple action gave him chills of the worst kind. His heart rate sped up and he could feel panic setting in.

"Th-These are—?!"

"Robin? Are you up yet?"

Takumi stiffened when someone he didn't recognize entered through the tent flap. The blue hair was the first thing he noticed, but this was definitely not Oboro. It was a young man, probably a little older than he was. The male had caught him with Takumi's hands still holding the fleshy mounds and simply stared at him for several seconds. Takumi felt his face burn up, though he wasn't sure if it was from anger, embarrassment, or both. Eventually, the man turned tomato-red and, faster than one of Fujin Yumi's arrows, ran out of Takumi's tent. He heard a distant yell of "I'm sorry! Don't kill me! Frederick, HELP!" as the voice grew fainter the further it went away.

Too shocked to truly care about who the blue-haired youth was, Takumi quickly stood up from the makeshift bed. It felt like he was shorter than he was supposed to be. Not only that, he was wearing clothes he knew were neither his nor of a Hoshidan design. He looked at his hands and legs, noticing how curved and soft they were. Gone were the built muscles and hard calluses that resulted from constant yumi practice. He picked up his shirt, just enough to look at his abdomen. Smooth and unblemished skin greeted him, no abs in sight.

_Wh-what's going on?! What happened to me?!_

After ten solid minutes of freaking out, Takumi finally calmed down enough to think clearly. The situation was no less alarming, but he more or less was able to figure out a few things.

First, the Faceless in the room: somehow, he was in a girl's body. This reeked of Nohrian sorcery. He should have known better than to trust them. The question now was who pulled it off. Surely not Corrin; she was barely a beginner at magic. Her butler could have done it to spite him, but he was loyal to Corrin and favored healing staves over dark tomes. That insufferable Prince Leo seemed the most likely culprit, but he was still part of the Nohrian army and thus had no access to the astral plane.

Speaking of which, it didn't take a genius to figure out he was nowhere near his real body. Just where was he anyway? Judging by the name, this "Robin" seemed to be Nohrian, but her attire didn't feature Nohr's crest. The blue-haired moron who bumbled in earlier didn't have typical Nohrian soldier garb, either.

Takumi ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He was getting nowhere like this. If he wanted to learn more, he was going to have to pretend to be "Robin". At least his new clothes weren't girly in the slightest; in fact, he found the eye-shaped patterns on his coat sleeves to be a bit creepy. On top of that, a birthmark on his right hand sported the same pattern, but at least he had fingerless gloves to hide it with.

He found a couple hair ties lying around and used one to tie his hair up in a ponytail. Robin's hair was much shorter than his, but the slight weight behind his head was comfortably familiar. It made him feel a little like his old self again, even if this body was still all wrong.

Next came weapons. Robin was smart; she kept a steel sword and a yellow tome within arm's reach of her sleeping area. Takumi swallowed hard, trying to keep his anxiety in check. He had zero magical aptitude and had no idea how to use a tome. Even in someone else's body he wasn't good enough.

He shook his head and strapped the weapons to his body. Now wasn't the time for those thoughts. If he wanted to get out of this mess, he'd have to soldier on. He could work a sword well enough; the design was different from a katana, but the concept was the same. As long as he wasn't put into a situation where he would be forced to use magic, he would be all right.

Finally ready—or at least as ready as he could be—Takumi took a deep breath and headed outside. As soon as he opened the tent flap, he found himself face to face with a blond girl with pigtails.

"Robin!" she exclaimed. "I was just about to wake you up since Chrom bungled it AGAIN. Whoa, your hair! It's… different."

Takumi tried his best not to panic. "W-well, I thought I'd try something different today."

Chrom. Was he that blue-haired moron who walked in on him? And it sounded like this wasn't the first time he had done that. Takumi was surprised the man was still breathing if this had occurred multiple times. So that meant that this "Robin" person he was supposed to be was patient, or at least had enough self-control to not murder perverts.

"If you say so," the girl said. "Anyway, try to go easy on Chrom, okay? He woke up half the camp with his screaming."

"I… see."

"Also, if you really want to fry him, make him lightly crispy. Last time something like this happened, you nearly roasted him inside and out. It took forever for those burns to go away, even with the help of three staves."

 _Yikes_ , thought Takumi.  _And I thought Hinoka was scary when she lost her temper._

"Where is he now?" he asked.

"Probably hiding out in Frederick's tent, hoping to live to see another day," the girl replied. "If you want, I can go get him for you. I doubt he'd want to come out if you were the one asking for him."

"That'd be great. Thanks."

_Especially since I have no idea where I'm going._

"Honestly, I feel bad for Lucina. I can't believe she turned out so well with a father like that."

_Wait, what?_

"Father?" he repeated.

"Are you still half asleep? Yeah, I can't really get over how weird it is to see Lucina all grown up like that, but she really is Chrom's daughter."

_He looks like he's not much older than me, but he already has a child? So, I guess we're in some sort of conflict where young men need to have children early on to continue their legacy?_

Takumi sighed. "Just go get him."

The girl nodded before heading off to who knows where. Takumi was tempted to explore a bit, but there was a good chance he'd just wind up getting lost. He had no idea when the girl would return, so he ducked back into Robin's tent and browsed her pile of books. He had never heard of any of these titles, but it wasn't like he had anything better to do while he waited.

"Is this… a book on tactics?" he wondered aloud as he opened the cover of one. It seemed Robin was into strategizing. He wondered if she would have been a good shogi opponent. He doubted these people had even heard of shogi, but he suspected Robin would have loved to learned to play. That became even more apparent when he read the numerous annotations Robin had scribbled on the margins. She had circled paragraphs she deemed important and added her own thoughts on the book's ideas. He became so absorbed that he almost didn't hear the girl from earlier announce she had returned.

Startled, Takumi slammed the book shut before darting outside. The blond girl was tapping her foot and frowning impatiently. Next to her stood the blue-haired idiot, and it was obvious he feared for his life.

"R-Robin!" Chrom squeaked. "I'm really sorry about earlier! I swear I didn't mean to!"

"You are an idiot," Takumi said before he could stop himself.

"I know. You've mentioned that quite a few times…"

"And yet you still do dumb stuff like this."

Chrom hung his head low. "Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

Takumi couldn't stop a devious smirk from spreading across his face. "How about a week on latrine duty?"

Chrom's eyes widened. "Robin… Mercy, please."

"I've been merciful enough considering you're still alive after all the stunts you've pulled. I think this proposition is quite reasonable, so take it like a man and deal with it."

"You really messed up this time, Big Brother!" the blonde girl snickered. "Looks like Robin's feeling particularly evil today!"

"Lissa, you're not helping," grumbled Chrom.

"Well, no sense wasting time," said Takumi. "Go on! Snap to it!"

As Chrom reluctantly accepted his fate, Takumi covered his mouth to stifle his laughter.

_Gods, this is more fun than I could have imagined. Maybe being stuck in someone else's body won't be so bad after all._

* * *

Robin snuggled into her pillow. Her bed felt so much softer than usual today, and that made the prospect of getting up highly unappealing. Surely Chrom could wait another ten minutes or so. Unfortunately, the birds didn't have the same idea. They simply would not stop their chirping. Finally fed up, Robin reluctantly lifted her face from her pillow.

Her eyes opened, and she immediately noticed the missing stack of books. Not to mention the space she occupied was so much smaller than she remembered. Her favorite purple cloak was missing, as well as her sword and Thoron tome. Instead, a strange pile of clothes and fur sat in the corner, accompanied by what appeared to be a bow without a bowstring. The sleek, curved wood glistened beautifully and the golden accents on the ends gave it an almost royal appearance. It looked expensive in her opinion; something she would never own, let alone use.

Something was very, very wrong here.

Robin sat up and frowned. "Lissa, did you—"

Her hand shot to her throat. Her voice definitely did  _not_  sound like that. Hesitantly, she glanced down at herself. She was garbed in some kind of loose nightshirt, which made the absence of her breasts all the more obvious. Furthermore, she felt something between her legs that was absolutely not supposed to be there. Unable to stop herself, she reached down and touched it.

The scream that came from her throat was as girly as a man's voice could sound.

_What in the world happened to me?! Is… is this Tharja's doing?! Oh gods, what am I going to do? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO USE THE LATRINE LIKE THIS?!_

"Okay Robin, stay calm," she muttered. "I just need to find Tharja and get her to reverse this. Surely she'll do anything if it makes me happy, right?"

She was about to go out and do just that when a half dozen people burst into the tent.

"MILORD, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"

"LORD TAKUMI! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"Brother, are you alright?!"

"TAKUMI!"

"Takumi, what's going on?!"

"B-Big Brother, are you okay?!"

Robin's head was spinning. She did not recognize any of these people. And who was "Lord Takumi"?

"Wh-what are you all doing in here?" she asked. "For that matter, how did you all fit in here? I can't even move like this!"

"W-we all heard you scream, Big Brother," a girl with pink hair stuttered. "We thought you had been a-attacked!"

 _"Big Brother"?_  Robin thought.

"Takumi, you know you can come to me if you have a nightmare," said the one with red armor.

_Gods, he looks like a lobster! And what the hell is up with his hair?_

"I-I'm fine," Robin managed to squeak out. "And no, I didn't have a nightmare."

She was currently living a nightmare, but that was beside the point.

"Then what was that scream about?" asked a white-haired girl.

Robin gulped and frantically tried to think of an explanation. "Um, well, I… I saw a roach!"

"A roach?" repeated the redhead.

"Yes! A huge, freakish, nightmare one with gross, hairy legs! It was HORRIBLE!"

_Lucina, Inigo, thank you…_

"You're saying that all that screaming was over a cockroach?" the redhead asked incredulously.

"If you saw it, you would have screamed, too," said Robin. "But there's nothing to worry about anymore. It's gone, now."

"Fear not, Lord Takumi!" declared the wild looking guy with a scar on his face. "I shall scour every inch of this astral plane and make that roach pay for daring to lay a single hairy leg upon you!"

"Wha—?!"

Before she could utter another word, the guy was gone. The blue-haired girl dashed after him, shouting something about finding the roach first. There was a brief period of silence as everyone turned back to her, concern shining in all of their eyes.

"Are you sure you're all right now?" asked the lobster man.

"Yeah. So uh, you all can go back to your own tents now."

The remaining strangers did as she asked, albeit a bit reluctantly. They still looked worried and Robin felt like they all saw right through her lie. She decided to worry about that later. Figuring out exactly how she ended up in someone else's body was more important.

Who could have done this, and why? Obviously she was no longer in Valm, so the spell had to have been extremely potent. The Shepherds certainly had no shortage of enemies, and attacking the tactician was a sure way to lead them to certain doom. It begged the question of what happened to her real body. Was the real Takumi experiencing the same thing?

Speaking of which, this "Takumi" seemed to be someone of rank, since two of those crazy people addressed her as "Lord". She wasn't sure how long she could keep up her ruse, since she didn't know what nobles normally acted like. Chrom was a poor example and Maribelle's vocabulary was far too formal.

Takumi was also clearly an archer, which presented another problem. She had never held a bow in her life, and if she was asked to participate in combat she would immediately be busted. How was she going to get around that?

Her train of thought was disrupted when she felt a distinct pressure in her nether regions. Her face turned a brilliant red and she gulped.

"Oh, gods. I have to pee."

Following an  _extremely_ uncomfortable latrine visit, Robin returned to her tent with a sigh. She supposed she was just going to have to get used to all the "charms" of living as a man.

_I suppose things could be worse. At least I have a nice face. And REALLY pretty hair._

She had caught a glimpse of her reflection in a pond on her way back from the latrine. She had to admit, even with a wild mane of bedhead, Takumi was very easy on the eyes. She was more than a little jealous that a boy could have hair that pretty. Then again, it was technically her hair now.

She untied her strange robe-like nightshirt and her mouth fell open at the sight of lean muscle underneath. Gods, this boy's body was as beautiful as his hair. An image of Chrom standing naked in the bath flashed into her head and she immediately sobered. She quickly changed into Takumi's strange clothes, being sure not to peek anymore.

_Now what am I going to do with all this hair?_

She was tempted to braid it; partially to keep it out of the way and partially to see what it looked like in a braid. She doubted Takumi was the type to braid his hair, though, and the feminine style would definitely look suspicious. Ultimately, she settled on a simple ponytail. She tied off the top with one hair ribbon and the bottom with another, leaving the shorter strands loose.

Finally, she picked up the strange bow. It was significantly heavier than it looked, which surprised her. Stranger still, there was no quiver in sight. How did Takumi use a bow without a bowstring or arrows? It didn't matter in her case since she would have failed miserably even with an ordinary bow, but she couldn't help but be curious.

Steeling her courage, she exited the tent once more. Barely two seconds later, the two crazy cockroach hunters returned and kneeled before her.

"Lord Takumi! We are pleased to report that the astral plane is now cockroach free!" declared the scarred man.

Robin blinked.  _Wow. That was…_   _remarkably quick. That's some dedication._

"We weren't able to tell which one was the culprit, so we just killed every roach we could find!" added the blue-haired woman. "You won't have to worry about them disturbing you anymore!"

Robin was too stunned to utter anything other than a quiet "Thank you?"

"Just so you know, I killed more of them," bragged the man.

"Don't you dare lie! We both know I got more of them!" the woman snapped.

"W-wait just a minute here! This isn't a contest!" Robin interrupted. "I'm glad you did that for me, but there's no need to fight over who did better!"

The two of them gasped loudly, and Robin stiffened.  _Oh no, did I say something wrong?_

"Oh, Lord Takumi, you're so considerate!" the two exclaimed.

"Every day I'm reminded of how lucky I am to be your retainer!" declared the woman.

"Hoshido should be proud to have a prince like you!" the man added.

They continued to gush, but it all went over Robin's head. She could only focus on one thing.

_I… I'm a PRINCE?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has gotten a fair bit of traffic on fanfiction.net, so I decided to post it here, too. I'll update it once a week until it's caught up to the other version, and then I'll update both simultaneously.
> 
> I'm a slow writer and I work full time so I don't know how frequently I'll be able to update, but my goal is at least one new chapter a month.
> 
> Oh, in case it wasn't obvious already, this is loosely based on the movie Kimi no na Wa/Your Name. I had this AU in mind for a long time since I knew its basic premise but only started writing once I watched the movie. It's been a lot of fun to write!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi discovers that pretending to be Robin is harder than he anticipated. Meanwhile, some of the Shepherds are beginning to notice "Robin's" strange behavior.

Takumi was at the end of his rope.

_These people are all idiots!_

He wondered how in the world these "Shepherds" got anything done. One of the pegasus knights had a remarkable talent for tripping over nothing, the dancer was somehow even shyer than Sakura, and for some reason they had hired a thief addicted to sweets. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

How in the world was this army still functioning?

He found out that Chrom was the leader of this band of misfits, which was strangely fitting. All these idiots led by the biggest idiot of them all. Well, Vaike gave him a run for his money, but Takumi would have hoped that the leader of an army―and a country, apparently―would be a little more competent.

Furthermore, he learned that Robin was the tactician in charge of these morons. Bless the woman's heart for having the patience to deal with and lead these fools on a daily basis. He was ready to snap and barely half a day had passed.

The one who really got on his nerves was the archer, Virion. The man was completely full of himself, and Takumi longed to grab a spare bow and show him a thing or two. Unfortunately, that would immediately reveal that he wasn't really Robin, so he resigned himself to privately gnashing his teeth.

"Robin? Are you alright? I can hear you grinding your teeth again."

Takumi nearly jumped, spotting Chrom giving him a concerned look. "Ah, it's nothing."

"Are you sure? Everyone keeps telling me you're acting a little strange today."

Shoot, was he really that easy to read? He thought he had been doing a pretty admirable job, considering he hadn't yet blown up on anyone. Before he could respond, Chrom leaned toward his ear.

"Is Validar bothering you again?"

Takumi's ears perked up. He didn't know who this "Validar" was, but Chrom's tone made it clear this was serious business. What sort of mess had Robin gotten herself into?

"No," he answered honestly. "Like I said, nothing's wrong."

"Robin," Chrom began, looking Takumi in the eye. "You know you can trust me with anything, right?"

Takumi didn't trust the guy to tie his own shoes, but saying that was out of the question. Instead, he huffed out an offhand "Yeah".

"Look, if you're still angry about this morning, I can handle that. But you've been... oddly distant. It's almost like you're a different person."

Takumi's heart thumped in his chest. Chrom was a lot more observant than he thought. Then again, he and Robin seemed to be quite close. If they interacted a lot, then it was only natural that Chrom figured out something was up, especially since Takumi had only a faint idea of what Robin acted like.

He was saved from answering by a sudden shout of "Father!"

A young woman who greatly resembled Chrom ran up to them. Even her sword was identical.

"Lucina!" Chrom greeted.

With that single word, all of Takumi's self-control flew out the window.

"That's your DAUGHTER?!" he cried. "What the hell's going on here? She looks as old as you are!"

The astonished stares from Chrom and his supposed daughter made it clear that Takumi had messed up badly. He slammed both hands over his mouth, cursing himself for the outburst.

_Way to blow your cover, genius. You're hopeless. That's why everyone thinks you're a useless failure._

Lucina immediately got in his face and pointed her sword at his throat. "All right, who are you really? What have you done with Robin?"

"Calm down, Lucina," Chrom soothed as he gently pushed her sword away.

"But Father―"

"Robin, this is what you've been hiding, isn't it?" he asked.

Takumi bit his lip as he considered how to respond. Should he come clean or keep spinning lies? In the end, he settled on a half-truth.

"I... I really don't know what's going on here. I've been winging it since I woke up."

"You lost your memory again?" Chrom asked.

"Again?" Takumi blurted before wincing.  _Gods, I need to learn to keep my mouth shut._

"So it is true…"

"Father, you're far too trusting!" Lucina interjected. "How do you know this isn't a trick?"

"Robin won't hurt us," Chrom replied, sounding as if he were stating a fact.

Takumi could only stare incredulously at the man. He was inclined to agree with Lucina; Chrom  _was_  too trusting for his own good. In fact, Takumi felt a bit guilty for taking advantage of him, but he had no choice. He didn't want to think about the chaos that would unfold if these people found out he wasn't really Robin.

Chrom asked Takumi to follow him so he could give "Robin" a refresher on everything that happened. It was an offer that Takumi couldn't refuse. Before he could make a single step, though, Lucina yanked him aside.

"If you dare to lay a hand on my father, I won't hesitate to kill you," she hissed venomously.

Takumi swallowed. "Duly noted."

_Okay. An overprotective daughter is the biggest threat to my life right now. Perfect._

He could understand her behavior to an extent, though. Chrom was clearly following his heart rather than his head, and in Takumi's experience that always spelled disaster. He had lost both of his parents to misplaced trust, and he loathed to see that happen yet again.

Which again reminded him that he was the deceiver this time. While his intentions weren't malicious, he still felt guilty about it. Perhaps he could confess the truth once he knew Lucina wouldn't gut him alive.

After he was safely inside Chrom's tent, Takumi finally learned what this army was fighting for. A man named Walhart was sending his armies out to conquer the whole world, and the Shepherds and their allies were determined to bring him down. It was a cause Takumi could get behind, as Walhart's ambitions were disturbingly similar to King Garon's.

He also learned more about Robin. Chrom found her passed out in a field a little over two years ago, and upon awakening, she remembered nothing except Chrom's name. Being the overly trusting idiot he was, Chrom took her under his wing as his tactician after a brief skirmish with brigands. Since then, Robin had been an integral part of the Shepherds, forming strategies that earned them victory after victory even against the most impossible odds.

"A few weeks ago you set the whole Valmese fleet on fire by torching our own ships and sailing into them."

"I WHAT?!"

"That's how everyone reacted when you first told us your plan," Chrom laughed. "But it worked better than any of us could have imagined."

Takumi was at a loss for words. He couldn't decide if Robin was a genius or a madwoman. Either way, he realized he had made a terrible mistake. He couldn't hope to live up to such daring exploits. He wasn't a natural leader like Ryoma, Hinoka, or Corrin. He would only let everyone down.

"Robin, what's wrong?" Chrom asked.

Takumi glanced to his side. As he expected, Lucina was peeking through the tent flap and watching him like a hawk. With a sigh, he resigned himself to his fate. He'd much rather end up maimed than have someone else die because he messed up. And if Robin was in his body, he was sure she could manage better than he could.

"Chrom… I need to tell you something," he began. He took a deep breath and braced himself for the worst. "I'm―"

"Milord!"

An armored figure burst into the tent, nearly knocking Lucina to the ground in the process. Takumi recognized him as Chrom's exceedingly devoted retainer.

"Frederick, what happened?" Chrom asked.

"It's a Risen ambush!" the knight explained. "We must defend the camp immediately!"

"Right!" Chrom replied before turning to Takumi. "Robin, we'll continue this later."

"But―"

"I know you're probably confused and scared, but right now, we need you. Even if you have forgotten everything again, you're still Robin. You'll be fine."

 _That's where you're mistaken,_ Takumi thought bitterly.

"Pardon me, milord, but are you insinuating that Robin lost all her memories again overnight?" asked Frederick. "That sounds highly suspect."

"We don't have time to argue about this, Frederick!" Chrom snapped. "Robin, let's move!"

Takum managed to nod before Chrom practically dragged him out of the tent. They dashed through the camp, with Chrom ordering every person they passed by to prepare for battle. Within minutes, their army had gathered together in front of the camp, and Takumi finally got a good look at their adversaries.

At first glance, they appeared human, but it quickly became clear they were anything but. Their movements were jerky and almost animalistic, and the air filled with the stench of rotting flesh as they approached. Their ranks had no clear formation, but they were making a beeline for the camp.

Takumi felt a surge of relief. He was familiar with this behavior thanks to countless encounters with Faceless. These so-called "Risen" would be simple to deal with.

"Robin, your orders?" asked Chrom.

Takumi took a deep breath to settle his nerves. The fear of failure still weighed on his mind, but he couldn't be consumed by it. This army needed him. He wasn't the best tactician, but there was no time to hesitate.

"All right," he began. "I don't see any archers among their ranks, so our fliers and cavaliers are clear to flank and corral them. While the enemy is distracted, the remainder of our troops can move in and wipe them out."

Chrom nodded in approval before turning to the rest of the army. "Shepherds, move out!"

Despite all their earlier incompetence, the Shepherds were surprisingly good fighters. Clumsy Sumia was the picture of grace astride her pegasus as she stabbed soldier after soldier with her lance. Foul-mouthed Sully was as tough and brutal as any man he'd seen. Henry laughed gleefully as he blasted each Risen to pieces with dark magic. Even Chrom, who had made a complete fool of himself, was both regal and powerful on the battlefield. Takumi found himself impressed by it all.

Not to be outdone, he took the opportunity to practice his swordplay. He couldn't remember the last time he had used a sword outside of sparring sessions with Ryoma and Hinata, plus he had to get used to fighting in his new body. Robin was smaller and couldn't swing with as much force, but she made up for it with speed.

Nonetheless, his fingers still itched for Fujin Yumi's handle. He just didn't feel right without the divine bow by his side. He could only enviously glance at Virion, who was boasting while littering the Risen with arrows. The pompous windbag went around calling himself the "Archest Archer", yet Takumi was certain he could shoot circles around him.

He caught a flash of metal out of the corner of his eye and moved to parry, only to have his sword knocked clean out of his hands. He scrambled away from a second strike, cursing himself for forgetting that he was weaker in this body. With the Risen standing over his sword and his only remaining weapon being a tome he couldn't use, he was rendered helpless.

_Pathetic. Weak. Useless. Ryoma wouldn't have made a mistake like that._

An arrow lodged in the Rider's shoulder and it howled in pain. Takumi looked behind him and sure enough, Virion was standing there, looking insufferably smug.

"I thought you could use some assistance, my lady," he said.

"If you really want to assist me, you'll hand over that bow!" Takumi snapped before he could think better of it.

Virion looked flabbergasted. Before he could utter out more than a "What?", Takumi snatched his bow and one of his arrows and took aim at the recovering Risen. The arrow flew true, landing squarely between its eyes. It screeched before collapsing to the ground and disintegrating.

"Don't you dare give me any of that 'Archest Archer' nonsense again!" Takumi snarled. He shoved the bow back into Virion's hands before rushing to recollect his sword. The rest of the battle went smoothly, and before long, every last Risen had crumbled to dust. Only then did Takumi calm down enough to think about his actions.

By the gods, he was  _screwed_.

Yet, instead of being suspicious, Chrom was impressed with "Robin's" sudden talent with a bow. He commended Takumi for being skilled with so many weapons despite not remembering anything.

Takumi could not believe his ears.  _This man is going to get himself killed one day._

Frederick and Lucina, on the other hand, were not buying it. Both vowed to watch him carefully in case Takumi tried anything funny. Despite the thinly veiled threat, he was relieved that at least some people in this crazy army had enough sense to know something wasn't right.

"By the way, Robin," Chrom said as they headed back to camp. "What were you going to tell me earlier?"

"Oh." He had forgotten all about that. He felt awful about breaking the truth to this man who had so much misplaced faith in him, but that last battle made it clear that he wasn't cut out to be in this army or in this body.

"What if I told you... that I wasn't really Robin?" he asked softly.

"What?! What in the world would make you think that?"

"I'm not thinking it! It's true!" Takumi hissed. "My real name is Takumi. I don't know how or why, but this morning, I woke up in Robin's body. At first I thought I'd pretend to be Robin so I wouldn't freak everyone out, but I failed miserably. I can't be a tactician. I can't even keep hold of my own weapon. I'm no good to anyone."

"Now wait just a second!" Chrom interrupted. "I don't exactly follow all of that, but if you're saying I should kick you out of the army just because you dropped your sword, you're sorely mistaken."

"Wait,  _that's_ what you're focused on? I just told you I'm not Robin!"

"That doesn't matter to me, even though it does explain a lot. I was wondering why you didn't fry me this morning." Chrom laughed in relief before his expression became stern. "Even if you're not Robin, you led us just as well as she would have. You haven't harmed anyone and you have a desire to keep everyone safe, even though you don't know us personally. That's enough reason to keep believing in you."

"But―"

"I want to give everyone a chance to prove themselves. If what you say is true, then I will do the same for you."

Takumi felt his eyes begin to burn. "You're making a terrible mistake. I can't take Robin's place. I'll never measure up to her."

"You shouldn't doubt yourself so much," said Chrom. "You'll do fine. And if you won't believe in yourself, then at least allow me to believe in you."

Takumi was silent for a long moment. At last, he wiped the corners of his stinging eyes and smiled wanly. "You're the biggest idiot I've ever met. But... thank you."

Chrom scratched the back of his head. "I'm glad I could help. But gods, this feels weird. Normally, Robin's the one giving me the pep talks."

"Really? I'm surprised you'd need them considering all your blind optimism."

"Everyone has their off days," Chrom chuckled.

"I suppose so…"

"So... Takumi, was it? From where do you hail? If we can pinpoint that, we can find Robin and maybe figure out how this whole 'body swap' thing happened."

"Well… I'm from the kingdom of Hoshido."

"Hoshido? I've never heard of it. It must be quite far away."

"I guess so. I mean, I've never heard of Ylisse or Valm before now. Look, you don't have to involve yourself in this. This is my problem."

"Well, my tactician and closest friend is missing. I'm pretty sure I need to be involved now. As commander of the Shepherds, it's my job to look out for and lead my men. Robin is one of us and I am not going to abandon her for anything. This isn't just your problem anymore, Takumi; it's ours."

Takumi sighed in defeat. "If you insist. But I still think it would be best to keep this whole situation between us. You took it pretty well, but I don't think Lucina would hesitate to put my head on a platter. And Frederick definitely doesn't trust me, either."

"You leave those two to me. I've had plenty of experience dealing with them."

"Somehow it doesn't make me feel better when you're the one saying it…"

"Hey!"

Takumi chuckled in spite of himself. This conversation had gone a lot better than he could have imagined. He still couldn't get over just how foolish Chrom was, but his heart was in the right place. Robin was lucky to have a friend like him.

Upon returning to camp, Chrom and Takumi discussed their plans for the coming days. Chrom explained that he did this with Robin on a regular basis so they would know where and when to march. Their next destination was the "Mila Tree", whatever that was. Apparently, that was where "The Voice" made her residence. According to a swordswoman named Say'ri, this "Voice" was the median through which the Divine Dragon Naga spoke to humanity. Saving her from the Valmese army would inspire the masses.

With that plan in mind, Takumi studied Robin's strategy book well into the night. If he was going to be the tactician in her place, then her advice was essential. He still wasn't sure he could pull it off, but in his current situation he had to at least try.

By the time he finished the book, the moon was high in the sky and his candle had nearly burned out. Despite his exhaustion, he felt a little more confident in his ability to lead and strategize. Robin certainly knew her trade. He just wished there was some way he could show her his gratitude.

He had a sudden idea. Fumbling with an ink pen, he opened the back cover of the book and scrawled two words.

_Thank you._

He smiled, closed the cover, and blew out the candle before turning in for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting into the meat of this now! I find the dynamic between Chrom and Takumi to be really interesting and fun to write.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin fumbles her way through this strange new land. Takumi's family and retainers notice something isn't right with him.

Robin found herself overwhelmed. She was not at all used to people doting on her, and now she had two retainers who were more than willing to lay down their lives for her sake. On top of that, she had two  _very_ protective older siblings and a younger sister who was nothing like Lissa.

Aside from Validar allegedly being her father―and by the gods, she would have preferred remaining ignorant of that―Robin did not have any blood relatives. It was no big deal to her, since her past was a mystery and she considered the Shepherds her family. Now, however, it was a liability, as she had next to no experience with sibling dynamics.

Most notably, she had never had an older brother figure in her life, but now Takumi's brother Ryoma had taken that role. _That_  took some getting used to. At first, she had been intimidated and rather put off by his ridiculous lobster armor, but she soon found him to be a capable leader and a caring person. And honestly, he was quite handsome once she got used to his wild hair and chin armor. Now the main issue was to not blush in front of her supposed brother.

"Takumi, is there any particular reason you are staring at me so intently?"

Robin's face burned as she quickly turned her head away from Ryoma. "Uh, NO! Nope! No reason."

"Are you feeling alright? You don't seem yourself today."

"What makes you say that?" she deflected, fighting the urge to panic.

"I noticed you wore your hair differently," Ryoma began. "You didn't use chopsticks at breakfast, and you seem… distracted a lot of the time."

Robin winced internally, but she wasn't surprised. Her Takumi guise was flimsy at best, and this strange land contained so many things she had never seen or heard of before. She felt like there was something new to discover everywhere she looked, which was a massive problem since Takumi must have been familiar with all of it.

The first thing that had caught her attention were the trees. Instead of leaves, they were covered with small, pale pink flowers. They were delicate and beautiful, fluttering gently in the slightest breeze. She had never seen anything remotely like them in Ylisse.

Second was that some of the food choices were far different than what she was used to. There was a heavy emphasis on rice, raw fish, and strange vegetables. On top of that, Takumi's siblings and retainers ate with two sticks instead of forks and knives, and their spoons were strangely shaped. Fortunately, she had found more familiar cutlery in the mess hall, but she garnered quite a few stares in the process.

Speaking of stares, Ryoma wasn't the only handsome man in this army. From the twin ninjas to the cute gray-haired cavalier to the furry shapeshifters, there was no shortage of eye candy. The problem was that she kept forgetting she was also supposed to be a guy. She wondered if rumors about Takumi's sexuality were already circulating.

_Keep this up and they'll all find out soon enough. I've gotta focus on the current situation and not the copious amounts of cuties walking around._ She mentally slapped her forehead.  _Great, now I'm starting to sound like Inigo._

"Sorry to make you worry, Big Brother," she said. "But I'm fine. Really."

Ryoma gave her that same suspicious look that said that he knew she was lying to him. If he had caught on to her situation, she didn't know. She hoped not. He looked intimidating enough. She didn't even want to think about how deadly the man was with a weapon in hand.

"Taaaaakuuuuumiiiiiii!"

Robin whirled around and spotted a young girl dashing up to her. She held several thick books in her arms and wore a sunny smile on her face.

"Ah, Princess Elise," greeted Ryoma. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, hi Prince Ryoma!" the girl chirped. "I wanted to give Takumi some stuff."

"Stuff? You mean those books?" asked Robin.

"Yeah! They're books from Nohr! They're too hard for me to read, but I think you'll really like them!"

Robin grunted when Elise shoved the books into her arms. After a bit of fumbling, she got a good enough grip to sort through the titles. "These look like history books. Oh, this one's about Nohrian weaponry. And this one's about famous historical figures. Wow, Elise. How thoughtful of you."

"I knew it!" Elise giggled. "You're just like my big brother, Leo! He loves this kind of stuff!"

_I guess Takumi enjoys reading. Finally, something we have in common._

"Do you mind if I take these back to my tent?" Robin asked.

"Not at all! In fact, I'm glad. You were so grumpy when I asked you to play chess with me. I like you much better today."

"O-oh."

"Oh yeah, Prince Ryoma!" Elise turned towards the high prince, "Since Takumi's gonna be busy for a while, let's make flower crowns together!"

"Flower crowns?"

"Yeah! It's loads of fun! C'mon, I'll show you!"

And just like that, the energetic princess dragged Ryoma away. Robin stared at their retreating figures, feeling slightly stunned. After a moment, she smiled. Elise reminded her of Lissa. If the two ever met, Robin was sure they would be fast friends.

She made her way back to her tent, books in hand. Thanks to Elise's intervention, she had a treasure trove of information and time to sort through it. She hoped she could learn more about where she was. She also wanted to learn more about Takumi. It sounded like he was not fond of Elise for some reason. Why would he be so cross with such a sweet girl?

Most of all, she wanted to apologize to Takumi for being a poor substitute. If and when they switched back, Takumi would have to deal with the consequences of her mishaps. If only she had some way to communicate with him.

She stopped walking when an idea popped into her head. Maybe there was a way after all.

After a bit of inquiring, she procured a few spare sheets of paper and some unusual writing tools. She discovered that Hoshidan ink was kept in solid form, so she had to grind it to powder and add water to it to make it usable. Using a brush to write was tricky, but after a couple failed attempts she managed a legible, if sloppy, message. After the ink dried, she folded and tucked the paper inside one of her books and continued back to her tent.

To her surprise, a very unfriendly face was there waiting for her.

"O-Oboro!" she exclaimed. "Gods, for a second there I thought you were a demon! Is something wrong?"

Oboro responded by pointing her spear at Robin's neck. "You're not Lord Takumi. What have you done with him?"

Robin's breath hitched as her books slipped from her arms. Her instincts screamed at her to respond, but her mouth couldn't form the words. After a few seconds of stuttering, a second prompt from Oboro loosened her tongue.

"Wait! I can explain! Please just put that down!"

"Not until you tell me where Lord Takumi is," snarled Oboro.

"Well, I… I actually don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?!"

"Stop!" Robin wildly waved her hands as Oboro's spear inched closer to her neck, "You're right, I'm not really Takumi, but this is still his body! If you kill me, you might never see him again!"

Oboro gave a small start. She lowered her spear, but kept a firm grip on it. "Explain yourself."

Robin sighed in relief. "Thank you. My name is Robin. I'm not sure how or why, but today I awoke in your master's body. I can only presume that he's in my body right now and probably just as confused. I apologize for deceiving everyone, but I didn't want anyone to panic."

"Nohrian scum, I see."

"I don't even know the slightest thing about Nohr!" Robin frantically replied. "I'm from a different place altogether. Have you ever heard of the Halidom of Ylisse?"

Oboro tilted her head. "Doesn't ring a bell."

"Oh no. I must be even further from home than I thought."

"This all sounds really sketchy," Oboro remarked. "How do I know you're not trying to trick me?"

"It's the truth, I swear!" cried Robin. "Believe me, I want to be back in my own body as soon as I can. This whole day has been more awkward than the time Chrom walked in on me while I was taking a bath! I feel like I'm going to die of embarrassment every time I use the latrine!"

Oboro flushed brilliantly. "You touched Lord Takumi's―"

"WHAT CHOICE DID I HAVE?!" Robin screeched. "It's not like I wanted to do it! But I don't know how else I can… You know…"

"Okay, I get the picture!"

"So you see, I want to fix this as badly as you do. I understand if you don't trust me, but now that you know the truth, I could really use your help."

"You're really a girl, aren't you?" Oboro asked after a moment.

"Guilty as charged," Robin admitted, cheeks burning.

"All right," the retainer huffed. "You sound honest, but mark my words, I'll be keeping a sharp eye on you. Try anything funny, and you're good as dead."

"Thank you so much, Oboro!" exclaimed Robin. "And don't worry, I have no intentions of causing trouble. You have my word."

"We shall see how good your word is. After all, you've already soiled Lord Takumi's image."

"I didn't mean to! It's hard to pretend to be a person you know nothing about!"

"So you intend to keep up this ruse?"

"I do," Robin said, nodding firmly. "At least until I figure out how this happened. I don't want Takumi's family to worry needlessly."

"They won't be fooled for long," Oboro shook her head, "I'm surprised they haven't figured it out yet."

"To be honest, I am, too. That reminds me; what made you realize that I wasn't really your master?"

"I knew something wasn't right from the moment I heard you scream. It's not unusual for Lord Takumi to wake up screaming from a nightmare, but he never sounded so… shrill. By the way, that whole bit about seeing a cockroach was a lie, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Robin admitted with a sigh. "That was when I realized that… I was a man."

Oboro frowned in disapproval before continuing. "At first, I brushed off your behavior because I thought you were addled from this morning, but when you spoke with Princess Elise I knew for sure that you weren't Lord Takumi. Lord Takumi would never be so genial with a Nohrian."

"But she seems so sweet," Robin protested. "She even gave me those books."

"You really have no idea of what's going on in this land, do you?" Oboro asked. "Hoshido and Nohr are at war."

"What?! But people from both countries are in this army!"

"Lady Corrin fights for neither country and insists the true enemy is elsewhere, but she won't specify who it is. Nonetheless, she's managed to persuade all of us to join her cause. We're supposed to head to the Bottomless Canyon before the skies over Hoshido and Nohr switch, though I don't know how that's supposed to help."

Robin hummed thoughtfully. "If you're all fighting for the same cause, why can't you work together now?"

"It's not as easy as it sounds. Our countries have been at odds for years. I lost my parents to Nohrian bandits, and Lord Takumi… The king of Nohr killed his father and orchestrated his mother's death."

"I… I had no idea," Robin murmured. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't be. It still hurts to think about, but I think I'm finally coming to terms with it, especially since I now know the perpetrators are dead." Oboro sighed wistfully. "Lord Takumi, on the other hand, has yet to get past his resentment. He's never been a very trusting person, and he's especially prickly around the Nohrians. I'm surprised Princess Elise keeps trying to speak with him since he always pushes her away."

Robin's heart filled with pity. She remembered how distraught Chrom became after Emmeryn died. She had managed to pull him out of his funk and wished she could do the same for Takumi.

"Oboro, can you tell me more about Takumi?"

"Only if you stop referring to him so informally," Oboro replied crossly. "I don't care if you're in his body right now. In Hoshido, it's disrespectful to address a royal without their title unless you are family or a close friend."

Robin yelped, cheeks burning with embarrassment. "I'm sorry! It's just that I haven't had to use such formalities in a long time."

"Just get in the tent," Oboro groused. "And take those books with you. I have a feeling they'll help me explain everything."

Once inside, the two sat down and Oboro told Robin all she knew about Hoshido, the war, and Takumi. Like Ylisse, Hoshido was a country that valued peace above all else, which put it at odds with its glory-seeking neighbor, Nohr. Tensions exploded when King Garon of Nohr assassinated Hoshido's King Sumeragi and kidnapped his daughter, Princess Corrin. Sumeragi's wife, Queen Mikoto, kept all-out war at bay with a magical barrier until her untimely death several months ago. Princess Corrin, born in Hoshido but raised in Nohr, couldn't bring herself to side with either country and searched for another way to end the conflict. This led her to slowly recruiting people from both countries to her cause, even though for some reason she refused to explain who their true enemy was.

Takumi initially refused to join Corrin's army, as he felt she was responsible for Mikoto's death. After all, it was Corrin's sword that killed Mikoto, despite the fact that a mysterious hooded figure inflicted the fatal blow. It took the dying wish of a powerful seer to make him change his mind, and even then, he remained suspicious of Corrin and the Nohrians.

Oboro described Takumi with great fondness. She said he was fiercely loyal to his country and showed over and over that he was a worthy prince. He encouraged Oboro to pursue tailoring because she enjoyed it so much. He trained with his unique bow, Fujin Yumi, on a daily basis to keep his skills sharp. Fujin Yumi was a special weapon akin to Falchion, as only its chosen wielder could harness its power. Robin was unable to materialize Fujin Yumi's bowstring, so she assumed it was tied to Takumi's soul rather than his body. Fortunately, Oboro informed Robin that Takumi was skilled with the katana, a Hoshidan sword. If worse came to worse, Robin had a way to defend herself that wasn't completely out of character.

"You like him, don't you?" Robin asked once Oboro finished.

"Of course I do. That's a stupid question," she huffed. "I wouldn't be his retainer if I didn't."

"No, I mean you  _like_  him. Not as a master, but as a man."

Oboro squeaked and blushed to her ears. "I never said that!"

"You can't fool me," Robin snickered. "You sound just like a good friend of mine. She pined after a prince, too."

"I-is it really that obvious?!"

"It is to me. How should I put this..." Robin tapped her chin thoughtfully before smiling. "Call it a woman's intuition."

"You can't tell anyone about this!" Oboro cried, and Robin was taken aback by how terrified she sounded. "It's unacceptable for a retainer to have feelings for her master!"

"Hey, calm down! I promise your secret is safe with me. Don't give me that look; I have nothing to gain from messing with your love life."

"I'll hold you to that." Oboro sighed. "Gods, it feels so strange to be talking about this when you look and sound like Lord Takumi."

"Trust me, this is weird for me, too. But you know, it feels refreshing to have someone to confide in. After all, we've both been hiding our secrets from this army."

"I suppose so. I guess I do feel a little better."

Robin giggled softly, prompting a blush from Oboro.

"Please don't do that," she pleaded. "Lord Takumi almost never laughs, and―"

"Lord Takumi!" The tent flap flipped open, revealing a breathless Hinata. He stared at Robin and Oboro for a long, awkward moment. "Er, is this a bad time?"

"HINATA!" Oboro roared.

"Calm down, you two!" Robin ordered. "Hinata, did something happen?"

"We're about to march to the Bottomless Canyon," he replied. "Lady Corrin and Lady Azura say today is the day the skies will shift over Hoshido and Nohr."

Robin's heart froze. She didn't expect to be dragged into battle this quickly, but there was no more time to prepare. All too soon, she was thrust through a portal with the rest of Corrin's army, a useless bow in her hand and a katana strapped to her side. The latter caused Hinoka and Ryoma to raise their eyebrows, and Robin prayed her panic wasn't visible.

Their march through the wasteland was intercepted by a Nohrian army led by a slimy-looking sorcerer. For her part, Robin tried to stay back and leave the fighting to the others, which wasn't difficult since Hinata and Oboro were more than willing to keep her safe. That gave her ample opportunity to observe her fellow soldiers.

Ryoma was a terrifying force of destruction on the battlefield. His katana conjured powerful lightning that struck foes near and far, and those that survived the initial assault were cut down by the blade itself. Hinoka was equally powerful, but in a different way: she darted from enemy to enemy astride her pegasus, running each one through with a brutality that reminded Robin of Sully. Sakura stood by with a quiet sort of strength. She kept the injured going with the help of her festal and occasionally drove off enemy soldiers with her bow.

Azura filled the air with a song to inspire the troops, like Olivia did with her dancing. Corrin could surprisingly transform into a dragon, and she took full advantage of her draconic strength as well as her sword. Yet, despite all their efforts, enemy reinforcements kept arriving. It wasn't long before fatigue set in. Just when Corrin looked ready to give up, Robin heard some new voices above the din of battle.

Two young men on horseback rode in, claiming they came to help Corrin. From their conversation, Robin learned that they were princes of Nohr. And like all the other men in this land, they were absolutely gorgeous.

Something jabbed Robin's side and she quickly turned to see Oboro frowning at her. "Robin, you're staring."

Robin squeaked out an apology and quickly refocused on their enemy. Corrin's morale improved thanks to their new allies, and soon they got even more help in the form of the princes' retainers. The strange thing was that two of them looked and acted almost exactly like Owain and Inigo. And then there was that other girl who bore a strong resemblance to Severa. Something strange was going on here, and Robin was determined to get to the bottom of it.

A tingle of magic filled the air and Robin leapt away on instinct, but the Fujin Yumi weighed her down and she screamed as powerful lightning slammed into her arm. The bow clattered to the ground and Robin collapsed, clutching her injury. She looked up at her assailant and realized that a mage must have slipped past Hinata and Oboro. She had been careless, and it cost her dearly.

She heard faint shouts of "Takumi!", "Big Brother!", and "Lord Takumi!" as the mage chanted a second spell. There was a flash of light followed by excruciating pain, and then she knew no more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The memories of dreams fade quickly after awakening, but their consequences are very real.

Takumi awoke slowly. His whole body ached and even the slightest movements were difficult to make. Why was he in so much pain? As his mind emerged further from the depths of sleep, he tried to recall what happened before he fell unconscious. He remembered going to sleep as normal last night, and then he had the strangest dream. It was rapidly fading from his memory, but he dreamed that he had been… a girl. A girl from some strange land he had never heard of. He tried to recall more, but it slid from his grasp like water running through his hands.

With a soft groan, he managed to open his eyes. He saw a tent canopy above him, and the pillows and blankets surrounding him weren't his own. He pushed himself up despite the pain and discovered that his chest and arms were covered in bandages. He couldn't remember getting injured, so how did this happen? Was he attacked in his sleep?

The tent flap opened and was immediately followed by a gasp. Sakura dropped her herbs and bandages and tackled Takumi in a hug.

"Big Brother! You're awake!" she sobbed. "I was so worried!"

"Ow! Sakura, that hurts!"

"S-sorry!" she cried as she let go of him. "I'm just so happy that you woke up. Everyone was really worried about you."

"What happened to me?" asked Takumi.

"You don't remember? Yesterday, you took a direct hit from lightning magic. You got hurt really badly."

"What?! I didn't even battle any mages yesterday!"

Sakura went very white. "Oh no, this is worse than I thought."

"Sakura, what are you talking about? Yesterday was when Ryoma and Hinoka joined us."

"Big Brother," she began, her expression serious. "That was two days ago."

A rock settled in Takumi's stomach. Two days ago? How did he miss an entire day? Sakura was similarly concerned and began a more thorough examination, but she could determine nothing wrong with him aside from his external injuries. To his dismay, she called Princess Elise and Azama to assist her. They too, could find nothing wrong―and Azama couldn't resist making fun of his memory loss.

Ryoma, Hinoka, Corrin, Hinata, and Oboro visited him soon after. They all bemoaned their inability to protect him, but all he could think about was that he held everyone back again. He wasn't strong enough.

"By the way, I'm glad to see you're back to your old self, Takumi," said Ryoma.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"You were acting really weird yesterday," Hinoka explained. "You used Nohrian cutlery at breakfast, you were constantly staring off into space, and you brought a katana into battle with you. And you didn't use your yumi once!"

Takumi felt the blood drain from his face. "I… I WHAT?!"

"You mean you don't remember?" Ryoma asked incredulously.

"Takumi can't remember yesterday at all, and I can't figure out why," Sakura piped up. "Princess Elise is familiar with Nohrian magic, and she said the spell that hit him couldn't have caused him to lose his memory."

Takumi thought he was going to be sick. If he had done such out of character things and couldn't remember any of them, then he could come to only one conclusion. Someone else had taken control of his body.

The idea that someone had used him to further their own agenda made his stomach tie into knots. If they wanted to, they could have destroyed the entire army from the inside. Strangely though, they did not do that. In fact, the more he heard from Ryoma and Hinoka, the more the culprit sounded like a bumbling idiot. Did they not know a single thing about him?

In the end, his siblings ordered him to stay put for the next few days, much to his frustration. Sakura said she would keep monitoring him in case he had a relapse. Everyone except her left so she could change his bandages, and then she too left him to rest.

Except Takumi could not sleep. What if the person who possessed him struck again? He had no idea why he was being targeted specifically, but he was not going to let the culprit have their way with him.

He snapped out of his musings when Oboro entered the tent again. Curious, he asked her why she came back.

"I need to speak with you alone, Lord Takumi," she said.

"I'm listening."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "I know why you can't remember what happened yesterday. It's because… you weren't here yesterday. Another person possessed your body."

Takumi scowled. "I knew it."

"You figured it out?"

"It's the only reason why I would do any of those things. So, did you find out who the culprit is?"

"I did. I interrogated her as soon as I realized she wasn't really you."

"Wait, 'her'? The person using my body was a woman?"

"Yes, and that's where things get weird. She claimed she came from a country I've never heard of and that she had no idea how she ended up in your body."

"And you believed her?"

"Honestly, I'm still skeptical, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt," Oboro explained. "She didn't cause any trouble aside from making you look like a fool. Although she is the reason you wound up hurt… I can't apologize enough for failing you."

"It's fine, Oboro," Takumi said, shaking his head. "That girl is the one to blame, not you."

"By the way, Lord Takumi… This is going to sound strange, but that girl―her name is Robin, by the way―she said that you were probably in her body yesterday. Is… is that true?"

He opened his mouth to deny it but paused when a faint memory tickled his mind. "Now that you mention it, I had a dream where I was a girl, and I think I remember someone calling me 'Robin'. It's really hazy, though."

"Lord Takumi, what does this mean?" Oboro asked worriedly.

Takumi bit his lip. "I don't know. But if we really did switch places yesterday, it's possible it could happen again. Does anyone else know about Robin?"

"No. A lot of people were taken aback, but so far no one knows that wasn't really you. Not even Hinata or your siblings."

"In that case, this is something I can trust only you with. If Robin takes over my body again, keep a close eye on her. And if she proves a threat, do what you need to do."

Oboro nodded gravely. "I pray it doesn't come to that, milord. But you have my word."

"Thank you, Oboro. You are dismissed."

The next several days consisted of him being confined to his bed while various people visited him. His dreams during that time were no different than usual, which was a mixed blessing. Nightmares still troubled him, but at least he stayed in his own skin.

He learned from the others that the army leapt into the Bottomless Canyon in order to face their true enemy. In doing so, however, Corrin and Scarlet were attacked by an unknown assailant. Scarlet gave her life protecting Corrin, and between that and Takumi's injuries, Ryoma was devastated.

Worse yet, Ryoma concluded that the ambusher was someone from their army. Takumi was tempted to blame Robin, but she had been unconscious at the time of the attack. He had no other leads, so the only thing he could do was be wary of everyone―especially the Nohrians.

Speaking of which, those two Nohrian princes were on the top of his list of people to watch out for. Prince Leo in particular got under his skin. The younger Nohrian prince was smug, patronizing, and insufferable. He took great pleasure in mocking Takumi's―or rather, Robin's―failure. Takumi could barely stand thirty seconds with him, and Corrin expected them to battle together. She'd be lucky if they didn't kill each other.

Princess Elise also proved to be a thorn in his side. She brought him a large stack of books, which he turned down. The princess pouted, upset since she claimed he had accepted the books from her before. He was about to deny it when he realized Elise must have given them to Robin while she was in his body.

The woman was becoming more troublesome by the minute.

Elise eventually dropped her books by Takumi's bedside, as he was in no condition to get rid of them. He admitted that their subject matter intrigued him, but he refused to read them nonetheless. He wanted nothing to do with those Nohrians.

By the third day of being stuck in bed he had gone stir-crazy. He hated that he was proving useless again. Why did that stupid woman have to go and get herself hurt? Instead of helping the army, he was stuck waiting for injuries he never should have received to heal, and it was all Robin's fault.

There was only so long he could lie there and do nothing. The long hours where people left him alone to rest were painfully boring, and that was enough to make him desire Elise's books. After a short period of self-debate, he opted to swallow his pride. Besides, no one was around to see him.

As he flipped the first book's cover open, a single folded piece of paper fell out. Takumi cautiously picked it up and scrutinized it. Did Elise leave this for him to find? Upon opening it, he was met with the most atrocious handwriting he had ever seen. Based on the sloppy strokes and numerous ink blots, the author had no clue how to properly use an ink brush. After close examination, he managed to decipher the scrawl.

_To Takumi:_

_If you are reading this, then we have both returned to our own lives. I fear I unintentionally caused a lot of trouble for you, and for that, I am sorry. I still do not know how we ended up the way we did, but I hope that incident is behind us. If you are still angry with me, I would like nothing more than to make it up to you._

_Once both of our wars are finished, I would like to apologize in person. Hoshido is very far from my home, but I'm sure I can figure something out. After all, the invisible ties between us can't be broken by distance. I look forward to seeing you._

_Sincerely,_

_Robin_

Takumi scowled at the letter. What the hell was Robin thinking? At least she had the sense to word her letter vaguely, but why did she hide it in Elise's book? Anyone could have come across it, and then he would have been in more hot water. Since Robin addressed him without a title, her message could have been interpreted as a secret love letter. The fact that she was so informal when she didn't know him at all really ticked him off.

And what was that "invisible ties" bit about? Nothing connected them except the body switching, which he hoped would never happen again. If Robin thought she could find her way to Hoshido from wherever she came from just because of some imaginary bond, then she was even more idealistic and foolish than Corrin.

With a sigh, he refolded the letter and stowed it away. He began to read the Nohrian history book and tried to discard any more thoughts of Robin. The less he involved himself with that woman, the better.

* * *

Robin shot upright, gasping for breath. Her heart raced in her chest, and her body felt as tense as a rubber band stretched to its limits. Several moments passed before she realized she was safe in her tent and not on a battlefield. She quickly checked herself for injuries, but found none.

"Was that all… just a dream?"

Even as she spoke, the dream was fading from her memory. She remembered being a boy, and she had gotten into some trouble and got hurt. That boy… was he all right? She shut her eyes tightly and tried to reach through her foggy mind. The boy's name was on the tip of her tongue. She almost had it.

"Takumi?"

"THAT'S IT!" she exclaimed, extending her index finger. Then she realized that the name had come from someone else's mouth. She turned her head and sure enough, Chrom was holding the tent flap open and staring at her. And she was currently dressed in nothing more than a thin nightshirt. A vein pulsed in her forehead.

"CHROOOOOOOOOMMMM!"

As blasts of Thoron echoed through the camp, Lissa and Maribelle calmly sipped their morning tea.

"Well, she's back to normal," Lissa commented.

"Indeed," said Maribelle.

"ROBIN, I'M SORRY!" Chrom screamed.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS! SCREW THE FUTURE; THIS TIME YOU'RE DEAD!"

Robin only stopped her tirade after Chrom used Lucina as a human shield. Lucina managed to placate the furious tactician after a tense standoff. Once the fog of rage faded from Robin's mind, she noticed Lucina seemed a little different than usual. It was almost like the future princess suspected something wasn't right with Robin. Lucina was well aware that all reason flew out the window whenever Robin's temper snapped, so what was going on?

After Lissa and Maribelle took Chrom aside to heal his burns, Robin returned to her tent in order to properly dress. She wanted to know how Chrom knew the name of the boy from her dream, but in his current state he was unlikely to speak with her for at least a few hours.

She changed into her usual clothes and brushed and tied up her hair. When she turned to leave, she saw Lucina standing in the tent's entrance.

"Lucina? What are you doing here? Are you still mad about earlier?"

"I thought I made myself clear yesterday," the princess growled, drawing Falchion. "You hurt my father, and you die."

Robin blanched. Lucina was dead serious. "You… You know I didn't  _really_  mean what I said earlier, don't you? And you never told me anything like that yesterday!"

"Likely story," snarled Lucina. "You sure like to play the amnesia card whenever it's convenient for you."

"Lucina, what are you talking about? I didn't forget anything!"

"Enough of your lies! To protect the future and my father, you must die!"

Robin dove out of the way of Falchion on instinct, and then quickly grabbed her sword and parried Lucina's next strike.

"Lucina, stop! Why are you doing this?"

"I already told you!" she snapped, punctuating her sentence with a swing.

Robin grunted as she blocked or dodged each of Lucina's attacks. "If I really wanted to kill Chrom, I would have done so a long time ago!"

"You may have fooled my father, but you can't fool me. You removed and impersonated Robin. You killed her, didn't you?"

Robin couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But I  _am_  Robin!"

"Silence, imposter!"

Robin gritted her teeth as she continued to fend off Lucina's assault. There had to be some way to prove she was the real Robin. Something only she and Lucina would know.

She had a sudden idea. "The other day, I saw you break one of the training dummies and you begged me to not tell anyone."

Lucina froze mid-swing, eyes wide as saucers. "...Robin?"

"Yeah, it's me," she replied, breathing a sigh of relief. "Now what's all this business about an impersonator?"

"Forgive me, Robin!" Lucina cried as she lowered her sword. "It's just that yesterday, someone that looked exactly like you took your place!"

"Wh-what?! How?! And how did you figure out there was an imposter in the first place?"

"I don't know how the imposter took your place, but they weren't very good at pretending to be you. Their demeanor was a lot gruffer, and they didn't know I was Chrom's daughter. Plus, they took Virion's bow in yesterday's battle and wielded it with the skill of a seasoned archer!"

Robin blinked a few times while she tried to process everything. "That all sounds… very strange. But if there was a battle yesterday and I don't remember it, then I guess someone really did take my place. Does anyone else know?"

"Frederick knew something wasn't right, but Father is convinced the imposter was you. I can't believe how trusting he is. That's why I kept a close eye on your impersonator."

"You're a good daughter, Lucina," said Robin. "Just try not to jump to conclusions next time."

"Right. Sorry."

"If you're really sorry, you'll help clean up this mess. Our little scuffle caused some damage."

Lucina's cheeks turned a faint pink as she glanced at the scattered books and torn canvas. "Um… Whoops?"

"Just put your sword away and help me."

The two women set right to work on repairing the slashes in the tent fabric and reorganizing Robin's belongings. Robin carefully flipped through each of her books to ensure they weren't damaged. They fortunately escaped any marring, but Robin found some words scribbled on the inside of her favorite strategy book's back cover.

_Thank you._

That definitely had not been there yesterday―or rather the day before yesterday, if Lucina's claims were accurate. The handwriting was wobbly, as if the author was unaccustomed to it. Who would leave a message like this, and why? Only someone in camp would know she had this book, and in that case, they could just thank her in person.

Unless…

_My imposter must have written this._

It was the only explanation that made sense, but it brought up even more questions. What was the imposter thanking her for, and why? Why would they even need to thank her if they took her place? For that matter, how did the imposter remove her from the picture and slip into the army so seamlessly? She couldn't remember encountering anyone suspicious recently.

Then it hit her. Chrom had called her "Takumi" that morning. Takumi, the boy she had been in her dream, was the imposter. And Chrom knew. But if Takumi had taken her place, did that mean her dream hadn't been a dream after all?

"Lucina," she began gravely. "We need to go see your father."

"Hm? Why so suddenly?"

"I think he knows more about what happened yesterday than you realize."

Lissa greeted the two women once they reached the medical tent. "Hey, Robin! Hey, Lucina! Here to see my idiot of a brother?"

"Yes," said Robin. "We need to discuss something important."

"I'll say. I can't believe he walked in on you wearing only your pajamas two days in a row. You'd think he'd learn by now!"

"That, I can agree with. Although I do feel bad about blowing up on him so badly."

"Don't worry, he's mostly recovered now. He'll probably freak out when he sees you, but that's what he gets for being so thick-headed."

Just as Lissa suspected, Chrom became alarmed the moment Robin walked into the tent. "Ah! Robin!"

"Calm down, Chrom!" Robin exclaimed, raising her hands placatingly. "I'm over what happened this morning! Right now, I just want to talk!"

"Oh." Chrom settled down after that. "And I see you brought Lucina with you."

"Hello, Father," Lucina greeted. "It's good to see that you're feeling better."

Chrom laughed sheepishly. "Well, you know how Robin gets…"

"I'm really sorry about that," Robin said, bowing her head. "I really have been trying to work on controlling my temper. But that's not the main reason I came to see you. Chrom, you called me 'Takumi' this morning. Where did you hear that name?"

Chrom stiffened. "You… You don't know what happened to you yesterday?"

"Thanks to Lucina, I have a pretty good idea, but I want to be certain. This 'Takumi' looked exactly like me, right?"

"More than that. He was using your body."

Robin's mouth fell open, her face growing redder by the second. "Wha… Wha... WHAAAAAAT?!"

A small part of her had suspected the truth all along, but hearing it out loud was surreal. She suddenly felt exposed and instinctively covered her breasts. She supposed inappropriate touching was inevitable, as she faintly remembered doing some herself in her dream, but that didn't make the thought any less embarrassing.

"Father, you  _knew_?!" shouted Lucina. "Why didn't you do anything?"

"Well, I didn't know right away," Chrom confessed. "Takumi told me the truth after yesterday's Risen attack."

"And you still let him get away with his little charade?"

"If Takumi truly meant us harm, he would have taken advantage of his situation. Instead, he practically begged me to do away with him for making a mistake in battle. I can't just abandon someone like that."

Lucina pinched the bridge of her nose. "Father, I swear to Naga…"

"No, Chrom made the right choice," Robin interjected. "I mean, I'm here now, aren't I?"

"I suppose…" Lucina conceded.

"There's something else, too," Robin continued. "I had a dream where I was a boy, and in the dream, people called me 'Takumi'. But after hearing all this, I'm almost positive it wasn't a dream at all. Takumi and I must have somehow switched bodies yesterday."

"That much is evident," said Lucina. "The question is how it happened."

"Takumi told me he didn't know how he ended up in Robin's body, and I doubt Robin knows either," Chrom remarked.

"That's right. I don't," said Robin. "And without a definite cause, we'll have to be prepared in case this happens again."

"What do you propose we do, Robin?" asked Chrom.

"If our enemies find out about the body switching, they'll definitely take advantage of it. We'll have to keep as few people from finding out as possible. It should be fine to let Frederick know, but no one else. I'll write Takumi a letter and keep it in my tent in case we switch again. It'll be up to you two to fill him in on the details."

Chrom and Lucina nodded in understanding. With the plan set, Robin returned to her tent in order to pen her letter. The army would start the day's march once Chrom fully recovered, so there was no time to waste. Once she finished, she folded the letter up and tucked it inside the front cover of her strategy book. Then she gathered the rest of her things and prepared to travel.

They reached the Mila Tree within the span of a few days and protected Lady Tiki from the Valmese army. From her, they learned that they would need to find the Fire Emblem's scattered Gemstones in order to unleash its full power. Tiki sensed Grima's return was growing near, and entrusted Chrom with the task of stopping him.

Tiki also cryptically mentioned that Robin had power like hers. She quickly dismissed her statement as a groggy rambling, but Robin couldn't help but be curious. How could someone like her have power similar to an ancient manakete? She was once again reminded that she still knew very little about herself, even after two years.

That evening, Robin added Tiki's information to her letter to Takumi. For the first time since the day she woke as herself again, she wondered if he was doing all right. She still wasn't keen on the idea of a man inhabiting her body, but he seemed to be a decent person. A small part of her wondered if the reason why they hadn't switched again was because she had gotten him killed.

She shook those thoughts free from her head. For all she knew, the switching was a one-time thing. Yet she still wondered why she would swap bodies with a stranger from a distant country. She had found no evidence pointing to a cause, and up until now neither of them knew the other existed. Still, she didn't want to squander this strange connection they had. Even if they never switched again, she still wanted to meet Takumi, if only to find out if he did anything inappropriate while in her body.

With a firm nod, she made up her mind. Once the war was over, she would seek out Takumi. Maybe it was foolhardy, but it wasn't like she had any permanent roots. Ylisstol was the closest thing she had to a home. And maybe wandering for a while would help her learn about her past.

All that had to wait though. Right now, she had a war to win. She tucked those thoughts safely in the back of her head and pored over her books and notes.

A tactician's job was never done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is now caught up with the fanfiction.net version! Yay! Updates from here on will be irregular, but I'll keep trying my best!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waking up as Robin again, Takumi learns more about the Shepherds' mission from Lucina.

Takumi woke up screaming.

He did this far more often than someone his age had any right to. No matter what he did, horrible things plagued his dreams several nights a week. He felt embarrassed and ashamed at how weak he was, not to mention the that the lack of sleep hampered his performance in battle. Yet another reason why he'd never measure up to Ryoma and Hinoka.

The nightmare had left him so addled that several moments passed before he realized his scream had been much higher in pitch than normal. Not only that, he recognized his surroundings, and not in a good way. A quick glance down at his chest confirmed his worst fears.

_Oh gods, no. I'm Robin again._

"Robin!"

The tent flap flipped open, revealing a concerned blue-haired woman. Lucina, Takumi recalled. It was strange that he could remember such details now when he couldn't while he was his own body. He stiffened, feeling the urge to bolt, but she blocked his only exit.

"Are you alright?" Lucina asked. "I was on patrol and I heard you scream."

"I-it's nothing!" Takumi forced out. "I'm fine!"

Lucina pressed her lips together as her eyebrows creased. "You're Takumi, aren't you?"

He blanched and went very still. "How―"

"Robin wouldn't be afraid to see me," she explained. "She also wouldn't pretend everything's fine after she just woke from a nightmare."

Takumi resisted the childish urge to hide his embarrassed blush with his blanket. Lucina was as sharp as the sword strapped to her side. Still, he hated that someone he hardly knew caught him in a moment of weakness.

"Father and Robin told me about your… situation," said Lucina. "I will not kill you. But don't even think of betraying their trust, or I'll make sure you regret it."

He swallowed nervously and nodded.

"Robin said she left a letter for you in case this happened. It should be somewhere in this tent, but she didn't tell me where."

"I think I may have an idea," said Takumi.

After a bit of searching amongst Robin's belongings, he located the strategy book. Just as he suspected, several folded sheets of paper were tucked inside its front cover. He quickly unfolded them and read their contents, which thankfully were much neater this time.

Robin addressed him without his title again, which irked him. Didn't she know he was a prince by now? She then stated that she assumed they switched places again, and asked Takumi to pretend to be her for as long as he used her body. She said that this was to protect them both from Ylisse's enemies. Chrom, Lucina, and Frederick knew the truth, but she didn't want anyone else to find out.

She then listed information he should know and rules to follow while he was in her body. Things like  _"Be nice to the other Shepherds!"_ ,  _"I wear pigtails.",_ and  _"Watch out for Tharja. She's kind of obsessed with me."_  There was also an angrily scribbled  _"No baths and no peeking! And if I find out you did anything perverted, you're DEAD!"_

Takumi didn't need to be told that. He was a prince; he knew better than to disrespect a woman. Well, aside from when he first woke up in Robin's body, but in his defense, he was still in disbelief over everything. As long as Chrom stayed quiet―and given what Takumi heard about Robin's temper, that was likely―she would never have to know.

Robin concluded her letter with a postscript describing their secondary mission. Stopping Walhart was still their highest priority, but according to Tiki, the Voice of Naga, they had to gather several Gemstones in order to return power to the Fire Emblem. Tiki sensed the impending return of a powerful dragon named Grima, and they would need the Emblem's power to stop him.

Takumi found himself intrigued. Ylisse had a Fire Emblem too? And like the Yato, its power was incomplete. It sounded like the Ylissean army and Corrin's army had very similar goals. At least there was one familiar thing he could cling to in this strange land.

"Well?" Lucina prompted.

"I… I don't know if I can do this," he confessed. "But I guess I'll have to try."

"Do you have any questions?"

He had many, but he settled on the foremost one. "Can you tell me more about Grima? Robin mentioned him but didn't go into detail."

Lucina's expression darkened. "The Fell Dragon, Grima, possesses terrifying power. The First Exalt of Ylisse used Falchion and the Fire Emblem to seal him away a thousand years ago, but if history stays its course, he will rise again. He destroyed my home, my family, and everything I held dear. My friends and I traveled back in time to stop him."

"Back in― You're from the  _future_?!" Takumi sputtered. "How?!"

"It's a long story, but the short answer is I had help from the Divine Dragon, Naga," Lucina explained. "I don't even know if I'll ever be able to return to the future, but as long as Grima is stopped, I don't care what happens to me."

Takumi quietly digested this new information. It explained how Chrom had a daughter the same age as him. It also explained why Lucina was so fiercely protective of him.

"Your parents died in your time, didn't they?" Takumi asked.

She made a soft sound and turned her head away.

"I know how you feel. My father and stepmother were murdered, and my mother died giving birth to my younger sister."

Lucina stared at him in shock. "What?"

"I was actually dreaming about my stepmother earlier," Takumi confessed. "I see her die over and over and no matter what I do, I can't stop it. I can't help but think that if only I were stronger, I could have saved her. But I'll never be strong enough."

"Gods," Lucina's hand hovered in front of her mouth. "I've seen so much death in my world, but I never saw Mother or Father die with my own eyes. I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone."

Takumi did not respond. His throat felt tight and he feared he would choke if he tried to speak.

"I'm sorry," she continued. "I didn't mean to be so callous."

"It's not your fault. I just… It hurts to think about it."

"I understand. Every now and then I remember what awaits this world if I fail my mission, and it haunts me. I can't escape those visions, even in my sleep."

"You have nightmares too, Lucina?"

She nodded. "They happen far more often than I'd like. That's why I take the night watch whenever possible. Robin sometimes joins me."

"Robin, too?"

"Every so often she'll wake up screaming, like you did. She told me she can never remember the details of her dream, only that she did something terrible."

That struck close to home. In his worst nightmares, the ones he would never voice aloud, he found himself a prisoner in his own body while he killed everything in sight. Friends, family, and foes all died by his hand until he eventually woke up in a cold sweat and with tears in his eyes.

"Anyway," Lucina continued. "I'll leave you alone to get ready. The other Shepherds will be getting up soon. If you need anything, feel free to ask me or my father."

After she departed, Takumi quickly got dressed and fixed his hair. Robin had left instructions on how she tied her hair up, and he followed them as best as he could. The resulting pigtails felt strange on his head, but he supposed he would just have to get used to them.

He crept out of his tent and stole away from camp to clear his head, as he usually did after a nightmare. He strapped Robin's sword to his side just in case, but he still made sure not to wander too far.

He sat at the base of a tree and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of nature. Leaves rustled in the wind, birds chirped their morning songs, insects buzzed here and there, and… was that someone  _snoring_?

Takumi tensed up and reached behind his back for a bow that wasn't there. He winced at his mistake before gripping the handle of his sword and standing up. He carefully scanned the area, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for anything unusual. The snoring continued, and Takumi followed it, making his footsteps as light as possible. When he found the source, he did a double take.

A kid was fast asleep against a tree, looking far more comfortable than someone without a bed had any right to. His mouth lolled open and a thin stream of drool trickled down his chin. His arms were loosely wrapped around a yellow tome, and his silver hair stuck every which way. Strangest of all, though, was that the kid wore the exact same clothes as Robin. What was going on here?

Takumi's grip on his sword tightened as the kid began to stir. The boy didn't look threatening, but Takumi wasn't taking any chances. The kid yawned loudly before rubbing his eyes and wiping the drool off his chin.

"Wha…? Is it morning already?" he asked sleepily. When his gaze fell on Takumi, he gasped and his eyes flew wide open. "Mother!"

Takumi froze as the kid smiled widely and tackled him in a hug. "Wha― MOTHER?!"

"Huh? Don't you recognize me?" the boy asked. "I'm Morgan! You know, your son? Your special little boy?"

Takumi sputtered, unable to find any words. Robin had not mentioned having a son. As far as he knew, she wasn't even married! Did this kid really think he could fool him?

"Goodness, Mother, this air really agrees with you," Morgan stated. "You look at least a decade younger!"

"Now, wait a second!" Takumi exclaimed as he tried to squirm out of the boy's grip. "I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but I'm not falling for it!"

"Mother, what's wrong with you?" Morgan looked so concerned that Takumi almost believed it was genuine. "We should get you home so you can rest. Wait, where was home again? Agh, my head…"

"I'm not buying this 'amnesia' act, so don't even bother," Takumi snapped. "Who are you working for? Walhart? Or are you just the bait for some petty bandits? Answer now, or I'll cut you down where you stand."

Morgan stepped back a bit. "Mother, you're scaring me..."

Takumi gripped the hilt of his sword. "And you're trying my patience. Either explain yourself or die."

"B-b-but I'm not lying! I really am your son! Wait!" Morgan dug through his coat and pulled out a worn looking book. "I have your strategy book! You gave it to me!"

Takumi cautiously accepted the book and flipped it open. To his astonishment, it was almost identical to the one Robin kept in her tent. The same notes and dog ears were there, but this version showed obvious aging. Takumi doubted that even the most skilled forger could have made a fake this convincing.

"All right. I'll take you at your word," he relented. "But don't even  _think_ of turning against me, got it?"

"Of course, Mother!" Morgan chirped.

"So, I'm guessing you came from the future like Lucina?"

"From the future?! How is that possible? And who's Lucina?"

Takumi groaned and massaged his temples. "Gods, help me."

Against his better judgement, he brought the cheery kid to camp. Lucina stated that she had not seen Morgan in her timeline, but also remarked that he may have hailed from another path. Chrom took an instant liking to the boy, as his condition was just like Robin's when he first met her. In fact, Morgan claimed that he woke up in a field just like her.

 _Are you kidding me, Chrom?!_  thought Takumi.  _Again, how is this guy still ALIVE?!_

They asked Morgan a few more questions, but for some reason his only memories were those of Robin. He didn't even remember who his father was. The only clue Morgan did have was that the color of his hair must've been from his father because Robin's was more white than silver. What had happened to the kid that caused such extensive memory loss that he couldn't even remember his own father, or anything else for that matter?

Nonetheless, Morgan fit into the Shepherds in no time. Owain claimed he sensed Morgan's "powerful aura" and instantly declared him a rival. Morgan also joined the so-called "Justice Cabal" with Owain and Cynthia. He brought Lucina flowers from a village they passed through. He attempted to help Noire get over her fear of insects, with mixed results.

Most of all, Morgan was very attached to Takumi. He followed him everywhere, hoping to learn more about tactics from his "mother". For his part, Takumi tried to play along despite knowing he wasn't half the tactician Robin was. It wasn't easy since Morgan was clever. He tried to trick Takumi into walking into a pit trap, but he gave himself away with his own eagerness.

"Say, Mother," Morgan said as they filled in the pit trap. "I couldn't help but notice that you seem different from what I remember. Are you sure you're feeling okay? I get now that you're not exactly the same Mother I know, but…"

"I'm fine," Takumi interrupted. "It's just… a bit of an off day for me."

He prayed that he and Robin would switch back tomorrow like they did last time. He wasn't sure he could keep Morgan fooled.

"If you say so," Morgan said unsurely. "It's weird, though. I feel like I've seen someone else act like that before. Someone who was really suspicious of strangers, but it wasn't you. Do you get what I mean?"

"Sort of. It sounds like you might be getting some of your memories back. Maybe you're remembering your world's Lucina."

"No, I don't think it was Lucina. I didn't get that feeling around her."

"I don't know what to tell you then. From the sound of things, it could be anyone."

"I guess," Morgan sighed. "It sure is frustrating, though."

Takumi ruffled Morgan's hair. "Well, try not to think about it too much. I've already seen what your attempts at 'remembering' have done."

Morgan giggled and scratched his cheek. "In hindsight, maybe banging my head against that post wasn't such a good idea…"

"Why in the world would you bang your head against a post in the first place?"

"It's just… I feel awful that I can't remember a thing about my father," Morgan lamented. "I probably shared just as many memories with him as with you, but I don't remember any of them. I wanted to try to jog at least one memory loose, but it didn't work. I feel like I failed Father."

"H-hey, don't cry!" Takumi sputtered. "It's not like it's your fault that you forgot!"

"But―"

"No 'buts'. If it wasn't intentional, it's not your fault. Just… take it easy and let the memories come back on their own. Don't force it."

"Okay," Morgan sniffled. "I'll try, Mother."

Takumi couldn't help but ruffle the boy's hair again. "That's all I ask."

Morgan's teary eyes widened. "Wait a second. I think I'm remembering something. It's not clear, but… I think someone ruffled my hair like that before. I think it might have been Father! But I still can't form an image…"

"Don't worry about it. See, you're already remembering stuff. I'm sure you'll remember your father in no time."

"I'll keep trying, Mother!" Morgan chirped as he wiped his tears away.

After they set up camp for the night, Takumi retreated to his tent to pen a letter for Robin. If these switches continued, it would be vitally important to keep each other informed of the day's happenings while they inhabited each other's bodies. This, of course, meant he would have to tell her about Morgan. He wondered how he could convey it briefly given his inexperience with a pen and had a sudden idea.

_Congratulations! It's a boy!_

He snickered to himself. What he wouldn't give to see her reaction to suddenly having a teenage son. Hopefully she'd be able to keep Morgan in line. The boy certainly had the potential to be a great tactician when he got older. Takumi supposed it was selfish of him to be envious of Morgan's talents, but he couldn't help himself.

He folded his letter up and blew out his candle. He prayed to the gods above that Robin hadn't caused too much trouble while in his body.

"Guess I'll find out soon enough…" he mumbled as he laid his head down to rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, something went wrong when I was posting this and I ended up deleting and reposting a couple chapters. I'm still new to AO3; sorry!
> 
> Anyway, you readers get spoiled because I churned out another chapter over the weekend! Don't expect future updates to happen THIS fast!
> 
> I'm still impressed by the pace I'm maintaining. I've managed to make a new chapter roughly every two weeks. I don't know if this will last, but I'll keep working hard. I don't think I've ever been this motivated to write fanfiction before. Takubin is magical.
> 
> I couldn't help but add Morgan. I had been considering it for a while but the Branded King banner in FEH cemented that decision. He's such a sweet and precious boy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin has some uncomfortable encounters with Hinata and Prince Leo.

"NO!"

The same dream haunted Robin at least once a week. She always woke up screaming, remembering she had done something awful, but nothing else. It happened with such regularity that she wondered if it was a premonition. If only she could remember more so she knew what to watch for.

Then she realized her voice was far too deep. She instinctively touched her throat and looked down at herself. A lean, bandaged chest flanked by silver hair filled her vision.

_I'm in Takumi's body again! He's alive… Thank goodness. These bandages, though… I must have gotten him hurt pretty badly. But if I'm Takumi again, that means whatever caused us to switch places is still at work. What am I going to do?_

"Big Brother!"

A young girl rushed into the tent. Robin recalled she was Takumi's younger sister, Sakura.

"Are you alright, Big Brother?" Sakura asked. "Did you have another nightmare?"

_Another nightmare? Wait, Ryoma and Oboro mentioned Takumi's nightmares, too. He must get them a lot._

"I did, but I'm okay now, Sakura," said Robin. "Sorry to make you worry."

"I just wish I could help you, Big Brother. All my healing arts are powerless against nightmares…"

"Hey, you did what you could. I'm glad you came to check on me."

"Still…" Sakura sighed. "Well, since you're awake, I'll see how your wounds are healing."

With an expert hand, the young princess unraveled the bandages covering Robin's arms and torso. The revealed skin was slightly red and tender, but Sakura remarked that it was far better than just a few days ago. She concluded that Robin was clear to leave the infirmary, but just to be safe, she would be confined to the astral plane for one more day.

Robin was relieved at the news. Her inexperience with the bow would stay secret for a little longer. Sakura was surprised that Robin readily listened to her orders but made no further comments. Robin winced and made a note to act more stubborn next time.

"You look tense, Big Brother," Sakura noted. "Why don't you have a soak in the hot spring?"

"H-hot spring?" Robin squeaked.

"Did I say something wrong? I mean, if you don't want to…"

"N-no, I'll go! It sounds like a great idea! I'll see you later, okay? Bye, Sakura!"

That was how Robin found herself staring at a pool of hot water with a towel tightly wrapped around herself. Logically, she knew she needed the bath. Sakura was just too polite to outright tell her she stunk. At the same time, though, Robin felt like she was violating both her and Takumi's dignity. Not to mention she was being a hypocrite.

"Why do I have such bad luck when it comes to bathing?" She took a deep breath and sighed. "Might as well get it over with. Please forgive me, Takumi."

She placed her towel on the ground and stared at the sky while she waded into the pool. The hot spring provided smallclothes for bathers, but she still felt dirty seeing a man nearly naked, even though she  _was_  said man.

She sat down and leaned backwards so her hair was submerged. It floated around her head and caressed her bare skin. Her heart was pounding, but the water felt heavenly.

"Lord Takumi!"

"Wha?!" Robin shot upright, head whipping around to see who spoke. All her blood rushed to her face. "H-Hinata?!"

The wild retainer was, like her, dressed only in smallclothes. Robin had to exert all her willpower and bite her tongue in order to stop herself from screaming.

"So Lady Sakura finally let you go?" Hinata asked. "That's great!"

_Don't scream. Don't scream. Don't scream._

"Lord Takumi? Is something wrong?"

He stepped into the water, and Robin lost control.

"HAVE YOU NO SHAME?!" she screeched. "AT LEAST WEAR A DAMN TOWEL WHEN YOU ADDRESS A LADY!"

"Lord Taku― OW! H-hey! Why are you throwing things at me?! Ow, that's sharp!"

"GET OOOOOOOUT!"

Hinata fled, but not before a bar of soap smacked him in the back of the head. Only once Robin's temper cooled did she realize the magnitude of what she had done.

"Oh, gods. I'm doomed." She stood up and dashed out of the pool, grabbing her towel along the way. "Hinata, wait!"

After hastily throwing on her "kee-moh-noh", she hurried outside, only to see Hinata being confronted by a furious Oboro. When her eyes landed on Robin, her scowl deepened.

"YOU!" she yelled. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I'm sorry!" Robin cried. "I couldn't hold it in any longer!"

"Of all the…" Oboro buried her face in her palm. "As if Lord Takumi's reputation wasn't sullied enough…"

"Will someone please explain what the heck is going on here?" Hinata groaned.

"Well, since I blew up so badly on you back there, I owe it to you to explain everything," Robin admitted, scratching the back of her head. "But first, let's go someplace private."

Once the trio was safely inside Takumi's tent, Robin confessed everything to Hinata. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but he surprisingly did not interrupt. Only once Robin finished did he speak.

"Wow. That's some story," he said.

"I know it's hard to believe, but―"

"No, I believe you. I thought it was strange that Lord Takumi was acting so… cute."

"Idiot!" Oboro snarled as Robin blushed. "Why didn't you confront her, then?"

"What was I supposed to say? Besides, you're one to talk. You knew all along and never told me!"

"Only because Lord Takumi and Robin swore me to secrecy! Besides, you're the biggest blabbermouth I know!"

"Come on, guys, stop fighting!" Robin pleaded. "I need both of you to help me until Takumi― Sorry, I mean,  _Prince_  Takumi and I switch back."

"How long will that be?" asked Hinata.

"If it works the same way as last time, then just until tomorrow. But the fact that this happened again means that it will almost certainly keep happening. We really need to figure out what's causing Prince Takumi and I to switch places, or else we're going to be in a real bind."

"Hmm…" Oboro crossed her arms. "I admit, I'm clueless. I've never heard of something like this happening before."

"Me neither," added Hinata.

"Of course you wouldn't," Oboro grumbled. "I can't remember the last time you picked up a book―if you've picked one up at all."

"As long as I can protect Lord Takumi, I don't need any silly old books!"

"Fat lot of good that does us. Lord Takumi isn't even here anymore!"

"Will you two  _please_  focus?" Robin interrupted. "No one here is at fault. If we work together, we should be able to get to the bottom of this. First things first: does this place have a library?"

"Well, yeah," said Oboro. "In fact, Lord Takumi visits there fairly often."

"That's perfect! Since Sak― Er,  _Princess_  Sakura has me confined to the astral plane for the day, I have plenty of time to do some digging. Best of all, it won't look out of place!"

"Just watch out for any Nohrian scum," Oboro snarled. "I've seen Prince Leo enter the library a lot. For Lord Takumi's sake, if you see him, then stay away from him. If you can't do that, at least make an  _attempt_ to retain our liege's dignity."

Robin laughed nervously and scratched her cheek. "Sorry… I'll try to keep an eye out for him."

Before she left, Hinata and Oboro helped guide Robin through styling Takumi's hair. Robin commented that the result looked similar to a pineapple, which earned her an earful from both retainers. Apparently, the two of them idolized Takumi so much that they styled their own hair in a similar fashion, so she ended up insulting all three of them.

_Can I not do anything right in this body?_

She sighed as she pushed the library doors open, but her mood skyrocketed the moment her eyes laid upon the vast shelves filled to the brim with all sorts of foreign literature. She suppressed an excited squeal as she zoomed over to the nearest bookcase. She hadn't seen so many books since she was last in Ylisstol.

She ran her fingers over the bindings and plucked out a random volume. As she opened the cover, the familiar scent of aged parchment washed over her. For the first time, she felt at home in this strange land.

"Well, if it isn't Prince Takumi of Hoshido."

Robin yelped in a most undignified manner and chucked her book towards the voice. It smacked into the unfortunate person's face with a loud  _thunk_  and dropped to the floor. She paled when she found herself face to face with a very grumpy Prince Leo.

_ACK!_   _Oh no, what have I done?!_

"I see your aim is on point," the prince grumbled as he rubbed his bruised nose.

"Then  _you_ shouldn't sneak up behind people!" Robin argued, trying to keep Oboro's words in mind. "Er, Nohrian scum!"

"This, coming from the coward who hides in the back on the battlefield?"

Leo was obviously trying to get a rise out of her, and it was working. "Hey! It's not cowardly!"

"Care to enlighten me?"

Robin smirked. "The next time a pegasus or wyvern swoops in, I won't bother to save your sorry butt."

Leo bristled at the statement. "As if I would ever fall into such a position that I'd need help from a filthy Hoshidan!"

"Considering that you're wearing your collar inside out, I find your claim hard to believe."

"WH-WHAT?!" He took a quick look at the purple fabric and his expression soured. "Damn that Niles! He lied to me!"

_Hook, line, and sinker._

Robin suppressed her laughter and attempted to remain aloof and spiteful. "The mighty Prince Leo's greatest weakness: wardrobe malfunctions. How pathetic."

"Shut up!" Leo snapped as he fixed his collar. "I wasn't the one screaming at his retainer in the hot spring this morning!"

"Y-you heard that?!"

"With how loud you were shouting, I'm surprised the whole camp didn't hear."

Robin gulped. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough. I can only assume that idiot walked in on your other retainer."

"Hinata is not an idiot!" Robin snapped. "His heart's in the right place. He's… just a bit eager."

_Just like Chrom._

"Regardless, that eagerness is going to get him killed one day."

"That's why it's my job to look after him and make sure that doesn't happen."

Leo gave her a strange look and she realized she must have messed up yet again.

"You too?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"I have to ensure my retainer, Odin, doesn't get overly eager as well. Something about his 'aching blood' and his 'tome hand'."

_That sure sounds a lot like Owain…_

"Say, how did Odin come to be your retainer? Just curious," Robin said quickly. "I mean, he doesn't seem the type someone like you would hire voluntarily."

"That's none of your business," Leo growled.

"In that case, I'll just ask him myself," Robin said with a smirk. "I'm sure he'd be more than willing to tell me about his daring exploits."

She squeaked when Leo suddenly shoved her against the bookshelf. "I will  _not_ tolerate you threatening my retainer!"

"W-who said anything about threatening him?!" she shrieked. "Geez, not everything I do is ill-intentioned! And could you back off just a little bit? Those gauntlets are sharp!"

_And your face is way too close._

Leo scoffed but released his grip on her shoulders. "Then consider it a warning. If I find even a single hair misplaced, you'll regret having ever crossed me."

_And now he's acting like Lucina… Why does everyone here want to kill me?_

"All right," she sighed. "Look, all I came here to do was check out some books. If I bother you that much, I'll just stay out of your way and pretend you don't exist."

"Finally, something reasonable comes out of your mouth," Leo snorted.

_I swear, if I ever come across this prick in my own body, he's dead meat._

With a great deal of effort, Robin managed to keep her temper in check and ignored Leo. She snatched several books that looked promising and stomped back to her tent, still fuming. She flipped open the cover of the first tome she grabbed, gripping the edges harder than necessary.

"I can't believe that headband-wearing little snot!" she growled. "I've never met someone so disagreeable and antagonistic in my life! If I were myself, I would have smacked him, prince or not!"

"I want to smack him too," Oboro piped up as she opened the tent flap.

"Oh, hey, Oboro," said Robin.

"I see things didn't go over well with Prince Leo."

"Considering it started with me throwing a book at his face and ended with me pinned against a shelf, yeah, it went as badly as possible."

"You threw a book at his face?! Damn it, I would've killed to see that!"

"I hit him square on the nose, too," Robin boasted. "I imagine it's gonna look pretty purple before long."

Oboro giggled. "Serves that scumbag right. Anyway, did you find anything interesting?"

"Well, I don't know if these are going to be of any use, but we gotta start somewhere. Mind giving me a hand?"

The pair carefully searched the tomes for any clues about what could have caused Robin to switch places with Takumi. One mentioned a very old Nohrian body swapping spell, but it affected the caster, so that was no help to them. There was plenty of other information that Robin found helpful since she needed to learn more about Hoshido and Nohr, but nothing that could solve her current predicament.

"Well, this looks like a bust," Robin said as she closed the last book. "It's getting late, so why don't we call it a day?"

"All right," said Oboro. "The others should be back from the day's march before long. Why don't I take these back for you? If Prince Leo shows up again, I want to see that bruise you made!"

"You're terrible," Robin snickered. "Oh, while you're out, can you get me some paper and a pen?"

"Why?"

"Takumi― Oops, I mean,  _Prince_ Takumi is going to want to know what I did today, and I'm abysmal at using an ink brush."

"Ink brushes are meant for Hoshidan calligraphy," Oboro explained. "Did you seriously try to write Nohrian with one?"

"Um… Yes?"

Oboro groaned and shook her head. "I can't believe you. All right, I'll get them for you, but  _I'm_ going to write the letter."

"Fair enough. It'll also make it less likely for a non-Hoshidan to read it."

Half an hour later, Oboro returned with paper and brush in hand. Robin carefully dictated what she wanted recorded, and Oboro translated it into the strange but beautiful characters that made up the Hoshidan language. When the ink was dry, Robin folded the letter up and placed it with Takumi's belongings.

"Thanks for all your help, Oboro," said Robin.

"After everything you did, you needed it," the retainer replied.

"I won't deny that," Robin admitted with a nervous giggle. "And I'll need you and Hinata to help me again the next time Prince Takumi and I switch."

"I hope Lord Takumi will be able to fix this before that happens, but I know that's just wishful thinking. I'll be keeping a sharp eye out for you, Robin, you hear?"

"Understood. Good night, Oboro."

After Oboro left, Robin changed into Takumi's nightclothes and climbed under the covers. Before she closed her eyes, she suddenly recalled his frequent nightmares. What if he woke up scared again? How cruel that she kept borrowing his body and yet was unable to help him.

She glanced at the brush and inkstone Oboro left behind and got an idea. After making a bit more ink, she sloppily painted a message on the palm of her hand and wrist.

_I'm here for you._

It was barely legible, but she hoped that he'd be able to read it when he woke up. She patiently waited for the ink to dry before climbing back into bed. She closed her eyes and drifted off with a smile on her face.

Outside the tent, Niles hummed thoughtfully.

"Well,  _this_  certainly is interesting," he commented. "Lord Leo's hunch was right on the mark. He'll definitely want to know about this stray little bird."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! And I managed an update before the end of the month! Progress has been kinda slow since I was binging Paper Mario games, but I still tried to write a little every day. I was a little burned out after writing "Soulbound", so I think the break was warranted.
> 
> I am so mean to Robin. I feel a little bad but putting her in all these awkward situations is just too much fun. I hope it's fun to read, too!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Leo knows about the switching now, and he and Takumi form an uneasy alliance.

"What the hell?"

Takumi stared at the dried ink covering his palm and wrist. The sloppy brushwork was unmistakably Robin's, and the ink had smeared, making the words almost impossible to read. He squinted and managed to decipher the message using the letters that weren't smudged beyond recognition.

" _I'm here for you"? Why in the world would she write this on my hand? The ink got all over my sheets, too! I swear, that girl is far more trouble than she's worth!_

He grumbled as he washed his hands in a clear stream. He'd have to tell Oboro to keep ink brushes far out of Robin's reach. Once his hands were clean, he returned to his tent in order to dress and see what other mischief Robin had gotten into.

He found a letter tucked in with his clothes and opened it up. He expected to see more of Robin's disastrous handwriting but was surprised to see Oboro's calligraphy instead. His retainer had transcribed Robin's words into a format that was much easier for him to read, not to mention that far fewer people would be able to understand it.

When he finished reading, he growled and crumpled the paper up. "By the gods, I'm going to  _kill_  her!"

He kept his composure long enough to hand his ink stained sheets to Oboro, but once he reached the archery range, he showed no mercy. He fired arrow after arrow in such rapid succession that his targets kept breaking. Thankfully, Lilith's magic created a new target each time he destroyed one, but his anger and frustration continued to boil even as his fingers began to ache.

_Damn that Robin, and damn this stupid body-switching curse! What did I ever do to deserve this?_

"Well, you're training early this morning."

Takumi bristled at the irritatingly familiar voice. He turned around and sure enough, Prince Leo had intruded.

"YOU!" Takumi roared. "What are you doing here?!"

"In case you forgot, these grounds are neutral territory. I have as much right to be here as you."

Prince Leo was right, of course, but that didn't mean Takumi had to like it. "Well, you shouldn't interrupt me while I'm practicing. I can't guarantee I won't mistake you for a target. That bruise on your nose looks an awful lot like a bullseye."

The Nohrian prince scowled, and Takumi gloated. Robin did some really stupid things while in his body, but at least she agreed that Prince Leo was an insufferable prick. He wished he could have seen her chuck that book at the scum's face.

"You're as insufferable as ever," Prince Leo growled.

"Really? I was about to say the same thing," Takumi countered as he twirled an arrow between his fingers.

"Enough! I didn't come here to argue with you, Prince Takumi."

"Then why the hell are you here?"

"You weren't acting like yourself yesterday, and now I know why. Why haven't you told anyone that you've been switching bodies with a stranger?"

Takumi froze and dropped his arrow. "Wha… What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Prince Leo groused. "I know your little secret. In fact, I'm amazed the rest of the army hasn't figured it out. That Robin is a terrible actor."

Takumi lunged towards the other prince and yanked him by his stupid collar. "Who told you about her?! Answer me!"

"'Her', huh? That explains the shrill voice," Prince Leo mused. His flippant tone incensed Takumi more.

"Who. Told. You?" he snarled.

"If you really must know, I had my retainer spy on her. She let her guard down far too easily. Niles learned her name in no time."

"Did you tell anyone else?" Takumi spat, venom dripping from every syllable. "Because if you did, I swear―"

"Not yet," Prince Leo said quickly. "But I want to know why you're so desperate to keep this secret. You're the most distrustful person I've met, and yet you're going through all this trouble to protect a stranger."

"That's not it at all! I can't be holding everyone back with my problems! I'm weak enough as is!"

Takumi blanched when he realized what he had blurted. He released his grip on Prince Leo's collar and covered his mouth in horror.

"You are a fool of the highest regard," Prince Leo scoffed, shaking his head. "Very well. I'm probably going to regret this, but I'll keep quiet about your little problem."

"Wha… Really?"

"It's not for your sake, of course," the Nohrian prince added. "I am, of course, familiar with body-swapping magic, but I've never seen a case like this. To think that it works despite the astral plain's isolated nature… I want to keep observing this phenomenon without being impeded by your siblings."

"Are you seriously treating me like some sort of  _experiment_?!" Takumi seethed.

"If I can determine the cause, then I should be able to find a way to stop the switches from happening," Prince Leo explained. "Surely you'd like that."

Takumi had to admit he had a point. "Fine. But you'd better not try anything funny while Robin's in my body, or more than just your nose will wind up bruised."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Prince Leo sneered. He then left, enabling Takumi to finish training in peace. The Hoshidan prince destroyed a few more targets for good measure―pretending the bullseyes were Prince Leo's smug face motivated him significantly.

Yet, his troubles with the other prince were far from over. Sakura finally deemed Takumi well enough to march, and Corrin, in all her infinite wisdom, thought pairing her two younger brothers together in battle was a wonderful idea. If that weren't enough, she opted to trust a stranger to guide them through this bizarre place where chunks of land floated in the air.

Azura filled him in after they left the astral plain. She said that the reason she and Corrin had been so tight-lipped about their goal was because this kingdom, Valla, was cursed. Any mention of the kingdom outside its borders would invoke the curse and dissolve the speaker. Azura claimed her mother died from this very curse.

The cause of the curse, Valla's devastation, and the current trouble between Hoshido and Nohr was the Silent Dragon, Anankos. He possessed King Garon and sent his invisible soldiers to attack the two kingdoms in order to invoke war between them. Once the Hoshidan and Nohrian armies were weakened from all the fighting, they would be easy pickings for Anankos's army. With the two greatest powers gone, Anankos could conquer the entire continent with little effort.

It was a fantastical tale, but after all he'd seen, Takumi believed it. He had battled those invisible soldiers in the ruins of Cyrkensia and saw their bodies evaporate when they were killed. Plus, he had heard countless tales of how powerful the First Dragons were. It did present a slight problem, though: Robin would have to learn all of this the next time they switched. At least both of his retainers knew about her now thanks to her bumbling, so they could fill her in when the time came.

Speaking of Robin, wasn't her group also aiming to stop a crazed dragon? Like before, his memories from his time in her body were fuzzy, but he faintly remembered having a conversation about that. Takumi suspected Robin's experiences were similar, and that brought forth another potential issue. If she failed to recall Valla was cursed and foolishly mentioned the kingdom to someone, then she would dissolve and doom her entire army.

_Wait, why should I worry about that? It's not my problem!_

Even so, the idea of Robin dying because of the effects of the switching didn't sit well with him. Even though she had embarrassed him to the point where he couldn't look anyone but his retainers in the eye anymore, she didn't deserve to die because of it. He decided to figure out what to do about that the next time they switched places. He really didn't like resigning himself to the fact that these switches were unlikely to stop anytime soon, but at this point he had no choice. He would have to anticipate potentially waking up in Robin's body every time he went to sleep.

Back to the main matter at hand, Corrin had enlisted a Vallite native named Anthony to serve as their guide to Castle Gyges, where Anankos resided. Something about that boy didn't sit well with Takumi, and he made sure to keep a close eye on him. Prince Leo had similar concerns, so the two princes agreed to a temporary truce.

That truce was put to the test a few days later when Takumi nearly plummeted to his doom. Considering his recent run of bad luck, he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that the rickety bridge decided to collapse precisely when he was in the middle of crossing it. If Prince Leo hadn't grabbed his hand at the last second, he would have died.

After that, Takumi held a grudging respect for Prince Leo. He still loathed his Nohrian counterpart, but he was grateful that Prince Leo saved his life, even if it was only for Corrin's sake. He also had to admit that Prince Leo was a strong fighter in his own right, even though he wore his collar inside out on almost a daily basis.

The other members of the army weren't making things any easier for Takumi. Corrin and Orochi kept teasing him about how he and Prince Leo could pass as twins. Even Azura made a few remarks on the subject, which left him fuming. How could he have anything in common with that Nohrian scum?

He felt quite sheepish after learning the truth from Prince Leo himself. The Nohrian prince had been enduring similar teasing from Corrin and Princess Camilla and questioned Takumi about his interests in hopes of putting a stop to it. As it turned out, the two of them had almost identical tastes in food, books, and hobbies. Takumi still wasn't keen on the idea of getting along with the other prince, but he couldn't bring himself to hate him as much anymore.

It also helped that Prince Leo was researching possible causes for the switches Takumi and Robin were experiencing. Robin had done some investigating during their last switch, but Prince Leo had better knowledge of the subject matter. Takumi didn't like the Nohrian prince's fascination with the switching, but he supposed he would have to deal with it if he wanted to get out of this mess.

Come to think of it, at least five days had passed since the last switch. Takumi was grateful to stay in his own skin, but he began to wonder if something happened to Robin. He kept telling himself that she wasn't someone he should be concerned with in the first place, but the thought continued to pester him.

_Stupid woman. If she got herself into trouble, then she deserves it._

He continued stewing even as he tried to get his mind off Robin by polishing the Fujin Yumi underneath one of the astral plain's cherry trees. Her condition was a needless distraction when he had other problems to worry about. He was in a foul enough mood since Anthony unsurprisingly betrayed their group.

"My, I've never seen anyone polish a weapon so forcefully."

Takumi groaned. "Go away, Prince Leo."

"Are you sure all that rubbing won't damage it?"

"I know my own weapon's limits," Takumi growled. "Look, I know you didn't come to make small talk, so either get to the point or get  _lost_."

"So temperamental," said Prince Leo. "Are you perhaps thinking about your little bird?"

"Little bird? What―NO! Why would I think about that?!"

"You know, the louder you deny it, the less convincing you sound."

"Shut up," Takumi snarled.

Prince Leo continued as if he hadn't heard him. "I am curious as to why she hasn't shown up again. Perhaps something happened."

"I'm sure it's nothing," said Takumi. "Or maybe our little problem just stopped on its own."

"I highly doubt that. This sort of issue doesn't start or stop for no reason."

"Speaking of which, have you made any progress?"

"Not much. I was hoping to learn more about your little bird so I could have more clues to work with, but she's being surprisingly elusive."

Takumi glared at the other prince. "You'd better not be planning anything shady."

"Aren't you protective?" Prince Leo asked, grinning.

"It's  _my_ body!" Takumi snapped. "I won't tolerate you messing with it!"

The Nohrian prince scoffed and shook his head. "Keep deluding yourself."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"You already know. In any case, I'd better get going. Unlike you, I have a lot of work to do."

"Then get lost already!"

Thankfully, Prince Leo did just that, but Takumi's temper refused to cool. It really bothered him that the other prince got under his skin so easily. Of course, he always hated being teased, but the fact that Prince Leo was the instigator this time made it all the worse. Not to mention that it again brought forth the nagging feeling he had been trying to avoid.

 _She's not my concern,_  he firmly told himself.

 _But she made you her concern,_ a little voice in the back of his head reminded him.

He recalled the words Robin painted on his left palm.  _I'm here for you._  The fact that she would write such a thing to someone she hadn't even properly met was ridiculous, but he would be lying if he said he didn't find the sentiment a little touching. Not that he would ever admit that out loud, of course. Plus, he still didn't appreciate the ink stains.

He set down his lacquer-soaked cloth with a sigh. The Fujin Yumi sparkled to the point where he could almost see his reflection in it. He then reclined against the tree, placing his beloved yumi on the ground beside him.

He couldn't deny it anymore; he was a little worried about Robin. She had caused him a lot of trouble, but in hindsight, he couldn't really fault her since he had made numerous mistakes of his own while using her body. Besides, they were in this mess together. He didn't have to get along with her, but he wasn't heartless, either.

Still, there was no way to know what was going on with Robin until they switched places again. In the meantime, Takumi supposed the least he could do was try to make things a little easier for her. He smuggled a pen, some paper, and a few Hoshidan children's books into his tent. Sakura and Azura had used those same books to teach Corrin how to read Hoshidan. Thankfully, his sister had moved on to more advanced material, so he could now use them to teach Robin his native tongue.

For the rest of the day, he hunkered down in his tent and wrote a series of instructions for Robin. First, he made a list of rules to follow while using his body. Then he translated the children's books into Nohrian and pointed out key characters to remember. She wouldn't be fluent, but Robin would have to know at least some Hoshidan if she hoped to masquerade as him. He only stopped to join the army for dinner and resumed his work once he had eaten.

By the time he finished, the hour had grown late. He set his pen down with a sigh. He had never written so much Nohrian in his life, and it left him exhausted. He hoped Robin would find it useful and not bungle everything again. Only one problem remained: even if Robin learned archery overnight, she still couldn't use the Fujin Yumi. She'd have to avoid combat altogether in order to keep up the charade, but how could she do that without looking suspicious?

Takumi's exhausted mind couldn't conjure any viable solutions. He decided to sleep on the matter and figure something out tomorrow. If he and Robin switched again beforehand, he would just have to hope the tactician thought of something on her own. Thinking on the fly was her job anyway.

 _You owe me big time, Robin_. _You better not have made me do all this for nothing. If you died on me, I'll never forgive you, you hear me?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grumpy but secretly concerned Takumi is really fun to write. I also enjoyed writing his banter with Leo. I hope I got their characters down well. And the wait wasn't as long this time! I'm still amazed at how productive I've been despite working full time and playing stuff like Sacred Stones. It hasn't always been easy, but it has been a lot of fun!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin stops sleeping in order to prevent the switches. It's not one of her best plans.

Robin suppressed a yawn for what felt like the thousandth time. Sleep was a luxury she could no longer afford. While the Shepherds and their Feroxi and Valmese allies successfully conquered Fort Steiger, Resistance turncloaks forced them to flee lest they be trapped by both Walhart and Yen'fay's armies. Now they were in a race to confront and defeat Yen'fay while Basilio and Flavia's group distracted Walhart. Every second counted.

Not only that, she didn't want to drop all this on Takumi. She learned from Chrom that the boy was less than confident in his ability to lead and strategize. It wouldn't be fair to thrust such a vital operation on him. So she only risked short naps at most, even though her body craved more rest. Besides, this wasn't the first time she'd had to sacrifice her well-being for the army's sake.

However, there was the slight issue of the surprise addition to their army. She had been confused when Takumi congratulated her on having a boy, but she immediately understood when she laid eyes on Morgan. While finding more of the future children had become routine, Robin was amazed that she had a child at all. She simply had no time for a love life between all her studying and strategizing, not to mention that her mishaps with Chrom had soured her reputation among the army's men.

Morgan's existence gave her hope that she wouldn't die an old maid, and she wondered just who his father could be. Unfortunately, she had little to work with because Morgan had lost most of his memory, just like her. Her only clue was the boy's unusual silver hair, which didn't match up with anyone she knew. Well, technically there was one person, but she doubted he would want anything to do with her after her latest blunder in his body, so he was out. That meant she had yet to meet this mystery man. She hoped she'd get over her ridiculous sensitivity to seeing men naked and vice versa before that happened, or else she feared she would ruin her relationship with her future husband before it even started.

At least she didn't have to worry about that with Morgan, as he was already familiar with her quirks. For whatever reason, the only memories he retained involved her. He must have been very close with her future self, as he tailed her as often as he could. Robin wouldn't have minded if she wasn't so busy trying to hide her haggard state. Morgan clearly inherited her sharpness, and she knew that just one slip-up would tip him off to how tired she felt.

Thankfully, their destination wasn't much farther. Robin and Chrom persuaded Say'ri to make the Demon's Ingle their battlefield. The volcano's fearsome reputation would dissuade the traitorous dynasts, and its flames would limit how Yen'fay's army could approach. As always, the plan wasn't without risk, but it was their best option.

They set up camp at the base of the mountain, as trying to climb at night would be far too dangerous. Normally this would have been a prime opportunity to rest, but Robin didn't want to risk switching with Takumi with such an important battle on the horizon. So she merely rested her eyes and waited for the rest of the army to go to bed. Then, while the night watches weren't looking, she snuck out into the forest.

Going for a walk at night was dangerous and admittedly foolhardy, but she needed to do something to stay awake. As long as she didn't wander too far, she would be fine. Just in case, though, she kept her sword and Thoron tome close at hand.

The possibility of a wild beast or soldier lurking just out of sight forced Robin to stay alert. She carefully listened for any sounds other than the crickets and the leaves crunching beneath her boots. For a while, all was peaceful, but then a strange noise graced her ears. Robin instantly froze in place and tensed up. The noise continued, but it did not change volume or position. Whatever was making it didn't know she was there.

She crept towards the noise, being careful to avoid any stray leaves and twigs. She kept a tight grip on her Thoron tome, ready to unleash its power at the slightest hint of danger. At last, she stepped into a small clearing, where she was met with an incredible site.

The biggest bear she had ever seen lay a few dozen paces away. It had to have been at least three times her size. It remained oblivious to her presence and grunted in its sleep every so often.

Robin's mouth began to water.  _Gods, I could make a lifetime's worth of bear jerky with this thing! No wait, get a hold of yourself, Robin! It's too dangerous to try to kill a bear this big alone! I should wait until morning for backup… But what if it's gone before then?_

After a short period of debate, she made up her mind. Since the bear was asleep, a quick, surgical strike to its vitals would be easy to pull off. She opened her Thoron tome and prepared a bolt of electricity to launch through its heart.

"HEY! IS SOMEONE THERE?!"

Robin almost fell over in shock.  _Did the bear just TALK?!_

She carefully looked over the beast, but it hadn't moved at all. Was her sleep-deprived mind finally catching up to her?

"C'mon,  _please_! I've been stuck under this thing for hours! If there is someone out there, then please help me!"

The bear still hadn't moved, but that shouting was definitely coming from it. Puzzled, Robin carefully approached the bear. Only once she was close enough to touch it did she realize it wasn't breathing. Someone had already killed it. She circled around it, and when she reached its front, she spotted a boy trapped under its hefty body.

"Oh my goodness!" she cried as she rushed towards the boy. "Are you all right?"

The boy stared at her in disbelief. "Wait… MOM?!"

Now it was Robin's turn to gape. "Mom?! What?!"

"It's great to see you, Mom!" the boy cheered. "I'd give you a hug, but I'm kind of stuck here."

"By the gods," Robin muttered. "I can't believe I have another son."

"Wait, you found Morgan? That's great! I was wondering where he went."

"You, young man, have a  _lot_ of explaining to do," Robin said sternly. "But first, we'd better get you out from under there."

A well-aimed Thoron blast moved the bear just enough to allow the boy to crawl out from under it. However, the ordeal had left him unable to walk, so Robin carried him piggyback back to camp for treatment. She'd have to explain herself once she got back, so she took the time to interrogate her passenger.

"All right, who are you and how did you get stuck under that huge dead bear?"

"I'm Kiragi! Your son from the future!" he exclaimed. "As for how I got there… Well, I was trying to drag that bear I bagged back to my camp, but it rolled on top of me."

"You killed that bear by yourself?! But it's enormous!"

"You bet! I got it in one shot! It was amazing! I just wish you or Dad could have seen it! That reminds me; where is Dad, anyway?"

"Kiragi, I… I'm not married," Robin admitted. "I'm sorry, but I don't even know who your father is."

"Oh, is that so?" asked Kiragi. "Well, if you haven't met Dad yet, then I guess I'd better not spoil it for you. It might mess things up."

"I see." Robin was a little disappointed, but she could understand his reasoning. "So, you know Morgan? Do you know how he lost his memory?"

"He what?!" Kiragi exclaimed. "That's news to me! I wonder if something happened after we passed through Lady Naga's gate?"

"It sure is strange," Robin mused. "The only person he remembers is me."

"Aww…" moaned Kiragi. "It'll be okay, though. I'll help him remember me in no time!"

Robin giggled. "Aren't you optimistic? Well, that is one thing you share with Morgan. It makes me wonder where you two got it from, because it certainly wasn't from me."

"It's nothing like that. I just like to look on the bright side of things."

"I kind of wish I had your attitude. I always want things to turn out for the best, but I know everything can go wrong in an instant. Like when Exalt Emmeryn died despite my best efforts…"

"Don't say things like that!" Kiragi cried. "I hate when you and Dad say bad things about yourselves!"

"Whoa, calm down, Kiragi!" exclaimed Robin. "I'll be quiet, but you need to hold still so you don't injure your legs more!"

Upon finally reaching camp, Robin's friends pounced on her and Kiragi. Lissa gave her an earful for sneaking out alone before taking Kiragi aside for treatment. Chrom and Lucina also expressed concern, but Robin insisted she was fine and that she just wanted to clear her head. It wasn't a total lie, after all.

Somehow, she convinced them to leave her alone. All that lecturing left her head pounding more than ever. She trudged back to her tent, hoping the pain would go away before dawn.

"Robin," a familiar dour voice called.

Robin leapt into the air and screamed. "Th-Tharja! Gods, you scared me half to death! Give me a little warning before you pop out of the shadows like that!"

The dark mage crossed her arms and affixed Robin with a piercing gaze. "You look dreadful. You haven't been sleeping, have you?"

"Wh-what are you talking about? Of course I have!"

"You can't fool me, Robin," said Tharja. "You toss and turn an average of twenty times a night. For the past three nights, that number has more than doubled. And your breathing was far too haggard and rapid. It was obvious you were faking it."

"Y-you've been watching me sleep?!" Robin shrieked.

"Of course." Tharja smiled darkly. "You're my fated one, after all. I want to ensure you don't suffer an ill fate. That's why I want to know why you refuse to sleep when you're clearly exhausted."

"You're one to talk!" Robin argued, feeling mortified. "If you've been watching me all this time, then you need rest as much as I do!"

"Why Robin, how kind of you to be concerned for me," said Tharja. "But I'm afraid you can't squirm your way out of an explanation this time. You haven't been yourself lately. Feigning sleep, sneaking out on your own… There are even days where you're like a different person altogether."

Robin swallowed. "Th-that's…"

"I must say, I'm quite perplexed. All signs point to a curse, but I can't sense any dark magic clinging to you."

"Tharja, I…" She paused, considering how to answer. "I wouldn't call it a curse, exactly, but I just can't risk falling asleep now."

Tharja frowned. "So there  _is_ something wrong. Is someone bothering you? I'll happily curse them to oblivion."

"No, no, nothing like that!" Robin exclaimed. "It's just my… my dreams."

"Ah." Tharja chewed her thumbnail. "I wasn't aware your nightmares had worsened. I do wish you had told me. I've actually been working on a hex that prevents bad dreams. It's not perfected yet, but I have enough components on hand to ensure one night of dreamless sleep."

"Tharja, that's… That's amazing! But what do mean by that it's not perfected? It doesn't have any weird side effects, does it?"

"In its current form, the hex prevents all dreams. I'm experimenting to see if I can get it to block only nightmares and allow pleasant dreams."

"Oh. Er, how do you know it works, anyway?"

"Oh, Noire has been a  _most_ valuable test subject for any new spells I come up with it. Discovering I have a future daughter has been more useful than I anticipated."

 _Poor Noire_ , thought Robin.

"Anyway," Tharja continued. "I couldn't bear it if something happened to you tomorrow because you hadn't slept. I must insist you get some rest."

Robin groaned softly. If Tharja had been watching her as closely as she claimed, there was no getting out of this. Refusing would likely result in her never again escaping the dark mage's sight, and that spelled nothing but trouble for both her and Takumi.

"Alright, you win. I'll get some sleep," she conceded. "But before I do, would you please use that dream blocking hex on me?"

It was a bit of stretch, but her times in Takumi's body felt like long, strange dreams. They even faded from her memory as quickly as her normal dreams. She would have preferred not sleeping at all, but if there was even a chance the spell would prevent the switching, she would take it.

"It would be my pleasure," Tharja crooned. "And I'll also cast a healing hex to make your sleep more restful. Gods know you need it."

"Wow, Tharja, how thoughtful of you. Thank you!" exclaimed Robin. "You know, your methods are a bit unorthodox, but I appreciate you looking after me."

Tharja chuckled in her usual sinister manner. "You are very welcome. Now, hurry and get to bed. There's only a few hours left before dawn."

Robin acquiesced and returned to her tent. She wondered if she would have a hard time falling asleep anyway, but now that she wasn't fighting it, she passed out almost as soon as she hit her pillow. The next thing she knew, someone was shaking her awake.

"Mother! Mother! Wake up!"

"Wha? Morgan?" She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "What's got you so excited?"

"It's amazing! I can't believe I have a brother!" Morgan cheered. "I mean, I feel awful about forgetting him in the first place, but this is still so cool!"

"Huh? You met Kiragi?"

"Well, not yet, actually," he admitted. "Lissa wouldn't let me see him because I was being 'too excitable'."

Robin suppressed a laugh. "Well, why don't we see him together? I think Lissa will be more willing to budge if you have a chaperone."

"Really? Awesome!" exclaimed Morgan. "Let's go right now!"

"Whoa, slow down, Morgan! At least let me put my coat on, first!"

Once Robin got dressed, she and Morgan hurried to the medical tent. Despite her lingering drowsiness, she felt surprisingly refreshed. She had to give Tharja some credit; her hexes had proved very effective.

Lissa reluctantly allowed the pair into the tent after some persuasion from Robin. She promised to keep Morgan under control and to not let Kiragi get too excited. After a couple of days of learning her future son's antics, she felt confident she could handle anything he could dish out.

Five seconds after opening the medical tent's flap, she once again wondered if she had gotten in over her head.

"MORGAN!" Kiragi cried, looking like he wanted to leap off his cot. "I missed you, Little Bro!"

"Kiragi, right?" Morgan ran up to his brother and looked him over. "I'm sorry. I don't recognize you at all."

"Aw, don't worry about it," said Kiragi. "All that matters is that we're together again."

"I have so many questions, though! Like, what was Father like? How did we get separated? What happened to your legs? How―"

"Morgan, settle down!" Robin scolded. "Kiragi's still recovering, remember?"

Morgan winced. "Sorry."

"I'm a lot better now, though," said Kiragi. "I can't walk yet, but I can move my legs a little."

"I'm surprised you're in such good shape even though your legs got crushed," said Robin.

"I'm tougher than I look!" Kiragi explained with a giggle. "And Aunt Lissa's a really good healer!"

"Wait,  _Aunt_  Lissa?"

"Oh, she's not really my aunt. But you were so close to her and Uncle Chrom that they're just like family to me!"

"I see." Now that both boys had settled down, Robin took the opportunity to examine Kiragi. She hadn't been able to get a good look at him before due to the darkness and her sleep-deprived state. There was something oddly familiar about the boy. His clothes were strangely designed, but she felt like she had seen something similar.

_Wait a second, didn't Takumi wear an outfit like that?_

"HEY!" Lissa yelled. "Visiting hours are over! We've gotta march soon!"

"Ah! We'll be out in a second!" Robin called. "Sorry, Kiragi. We gotta go."

The boy nodded. "No problem. See ya later, Mom!"

Robin rushed back to her tent to prepare for the imminent battle with Yen'fay, but her revelation fermented in the back of her mind. She couldn't deny the similarity between Takumi and Kiragi, but that was impossible, wasn't it? She shook her head; it was too soon to jump to conclusions. Her memories of the switches were too hazy to be reliable. She decided to put the matter aside until she had more concrete proof.

Besides, she had more important things to worry about. She strapped her sword and Thoron tome to her side and quickly reviewed her battle plan. If the Shepherds failed to defeat Yen'fay, all their fighting would be for naught. Her plan had to be flawless; even one mistake could cost them everything.

At last, she took a deep breath and headed outside to join Chrom. Once again, the war's outcome rested on her shoulders.

_It's now or never. Whatever happens, we must win this!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's heeeereeeee! I was really excited to finally write for Kiragi! I'm sorry I kept you guys hanging for so long, but Chapter 9 was really fighting with me, and I got hooked on Rune Factory 4. Hopefully Chapter 10 won't be so bad. And at least I got this done before the end of June, which was my goal.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Between the Ylissean army, Naga's Voice, and Robin's two mischievous sons, Takumi has his hands full.

Voices stirred Takumi from the depths of sleep. He moaned softly and rolled over, longing to return to the peaceful darkness. For once, his dreams were free from nightmares, and his body craved more rest. He didn't know why he felt so tired, but his fuzzy mind didn't care. He felt like something was pulling him to the bottom of a deep, dark lake, and he had no energy or will to fight it. The spell broke when the cold water suddenly became real.

Now upright, wide awake, and dripping wet, Takumi sputtered and gasped for breath as the laughter of two mischievous boys rang around him. A few things immediately became apparent. First, he was in Robin's body again. Second, her son had apparently recruited a partner in crime. The second boy was unfamiliar, but Takumi saw that he wore a Hoshidan archer uniform and became alarmed. Who was this kid, and why would he wear that outfit in a land so far from Hoshido?

First things first, though: he had to teach these two troublemakers a lesson. He grinned mischievously and tackled Morgan's companion to the ground. Before long, all three of them became entangled in a play wrestling match. Lots of rolling, tickling, and shouting ensued, and eventually they ended up piled on top of each other, completely out of breath.

"That. Was. So. Much. Fun!" exclaimed the young archer, Kiragi. During their tussle, Takumi learned the boy's name and that he was Morgan's older brother. Kiragi was a distinctly Hoshidan name, and that along with his clothes suggested that his father was Hoshidan. So the future Robin somehow made it to Hoshido after all. He made a mental note to question Kiragi on the matter later, but at the moment, he was too winded for the task. He wondered where these boys got all their energy from. Still, he agreed with Kiragi―he couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun, even though he got stuck on the bottom. It left a warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest.

Morgan giggled, prompting Takumi to ask what was so funny. "It's nothing. I'm just really happy. I don't remember ever doing anything like this, but it still feels nostalgic somehow."

"We used to play together like this all the time," explained Kiragi. "But Dad was usually the one who joined in. Mom just liked to watch."

"You dumped water on my head!" Takumi retorted, though his tone lacked its usual bite. "You think I was just gonna let you get away with that?"

"Um…"

"I'm sorry, Mother!" said Morgan. "It was too easy! It's not like you to sleep so late."

"Hey, even I get tired sometimes," Takumi admitted.

"Just don't push yourself too hard, Mother. I worry about you sometimes."

 _I don't blame you,_ thought Takumi. The current state of Robin's body told him that she had not slept well since their last switch. Even now, Takumi longed to go back to bed. He was beginning to suspect that this was the reason why they hadn't switched in so long. It brought forth the question of why Robin would neglect her sleep, and he was determined to find the answer.

_I guess I should find Chrom or Lucina and see what I've missed._

After the boys left, Takumi dried his damp hair with a towel and tied it up. Then he straightened out Robin's things, which got thrown about earlier. He was just about to leave when the tent flap opened again. An unfamiliar woman stood there, clutching a dark tome to her chest. Her sharp gaze pierced right through Takumi, and everything about her set his nerves on edge.

"Good morning, Robin," she crooned. "Did you have a restful night?"

"Um…" Takumi paused, feeling unnerved as she stepped closer to him. "I guess?"

The woman frowned. "What's this? Something's different about you today."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Takumi stammered. "Nothing's wrong!"

"You're avoiding eye contact. Robin  _never_ averts her gaze." Her expression somehow darkened even more. "What have you done with her?"

"I didn't do anything!" he exclaimed. "I don't even know how this happened!"

"Where is Robin?" the woman pressed, dark magic crackling around her delicate fingers.

Takumi flinched. "Hey, cut that out! If you hurt me, you'll just be hurting Robin!"

"Who said anything about hurting my dear Robin?" A deadly smirk grew on her face. "There are countless methods of torture I can use that don't involve physical pain. I wouldn't dare harm a single hair on Robin's head. You, on the other hand, will not be so lucky if I decide to turn your brain into slime."

"Okay, okay, you win!" Takumi exclaimed. "Robin's in a country very,  _very_  far away from here."

"Where?"

"My homeland. Hoshido." It wasn't exactly true, but he couldn't risk invoking Valla's curse.

"Interesting. I've never heard of such a place."

"Well, I had never heard of Ylisse or Valm before this whole body-swapping mess started. I can understand if you're skeptical."

"Body-swapping?" The woman put a finger to her chin. "Strange. I can't detect any dark magic in the vicinity. Ah! This must be what Robin was being so coy about the other night."

"I swear I had nothing to do with this," said Takumi. "And as far as I know, Robin's safe. We should switch back when we wake up tomorrow if everything goes as it did before."

"Hmm…" The woman crossed her arms. "That explains Robin's behavior over the past week or so. She hasn't slept much, you see, and now I understand why. Sleep must be what triggers the switching."

"That's pretty much the only thing we do know. I have a dark mage on my end trying to figure out this whole mystery as well. Even he can't pinpoint exactly what's causing these switches."

"Clearly it doesn't happen every night, either," said the woman. "That reminds me, Robin requested a dream-blocking hex the other night when I insisted she get some sleep. I didn't have enough components to cast it again last night, and then  _this_ happened. Perhaps it's not sleep itself, but specifically dreaming that triggers a switch."

Takumi stared at her, dumbfounded. It was a simple conclusion, but one he and Prince Leo hadn't considered. If they could prevent dreaming, they could prevent the switching too, at least in theory. It would have to do until they figured out the root cause of the switches, and Takumi was willing to try anything to prevent any more embarrassing blunders while he and Robin inhabited each other's bodies.

"Say, um…"

"It's Tharja," the woman said curtly.

 _Oh. So_ _ **this** _ _is Tharja. Now I see why Robin wanted me to watch out for her. Like it or not, though, I need her help now._

"Tharja, you wouldn't mind gathering materials to cast that dream-blocking hex again, would you?" he asked.

"You're in no position to make demands," Tharja growled. "And to be frank, it's going to be difficult to gather the components I need. You may not be aware of this, but Walhart the Conqueror is retreating to Valm's capital because we defeated Yen'fay, and Robin says it's imperative we attack as soon as possible. That means my hobbies will unfortunately have to go on hold."

"Oh," Takumi said, his voice small. "I guess I missed a lot."

"That's not my problem." Tharja turned to leave but gave him one last glare. "I suggest you catch up quickly. If Robin winds up hurt because of you, I'll make you  _wish_ you were dead."

He swallowed hard and managed a nod. Once Tharja exited the tent, he breathed a heavy sigh. "Gods, every time I turn around someone else is out for my blood… You sure as hell better appreciate this, Robin."

The next order of business was to ask Chrom about what had happened since the last switch. Luckily, he wasn't hard to find. Kiragi had crushed the poor man in a hug and Lucina had to practically peel the boy off her father. Unfortunately for her, she became the next target of Kiragi's affection.

"Kiragi!" Takumi scolded. "You can't just run around hugging people without their consent!"

"But Mom, it's been so long since I last saw Uncle Chrom and Luci!" Kiragi protested.

"Un-uncle?!" Chrom sputtered.

"That doesn't make it okay," said Takumi. "I still don't get how all this time travel stuff works, but I do understand that you and Morgan came from a different timeline than the others. Chrom and Lucina don't know you here. Would you like it if a complete stranger hugged you out of the blue?"

Kiragi thought for a moment. "Well, sure. It would show they're friendly!"

Takumi groaned and buried his face in his palm. "My future self obviously didn't teach you about stranger danger. But anyway, the point is that not everyone is like you. You should at least ask for permission before you hug someone who doesn't know you very well."

"Oh, okay," Kiragi said, reluctantly releasing his grip on Lucina. "Sorry, Luci. Sorry, Uncle Chrom."

"I'm fine with it as long as you understand," said Lucina. "But what's with this 'Uncle Chrom' business?"

"Well," Kiragi began. "Mom was really close with your family when I was growing up, so they became just like family to me, too."

"I suppose that makes sense," Lucina said with a nod.

"We'll be having a long talk about this later, Kiragi," Takumi warned, crossing his arms. "But for now, I need to speak with Chrom and Lucina. Privately."

"Okay, if you say so, Mom," Kiragi said nervously. He performed a quick apologetic bow before scurrying off.

"Wow," Lucina said once Kiragi was out of earshot. "You handled that remarkably well, Takumi."

"Well,  _someone_  has to be a responsible parent around here," Takumi huffed, eying Chrom knowingly. "Clearly Robin has no idea what she's doing since you figured out we switched again so quickly."

"Robin actually adjusted pretty quickly. After all, she's used to dealing with… childish behavior," Lucina explained with a grimace. "Your tone is what gave you away. You sounded far more serious than Robin would have."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," said Takumi. "Anyway, what happened? Why is Robin so exhausted? Tharja said she hasn't slept much recently."

"Wait, really?" asked Chrom. "I knew she'd been pushing herself again, but I didn't realize it was  _that_ bad!"

"Explain," demanded Takumi.

"We've been on the move ever since we took Fort Steiger about a week ago," said Lucina. "The Resistance turned on us and forced us to flee for our lives, as we were no match for both Walhart and Yen'fay's armies. To turn the odds in our favor, Robin had a small group distract Walhart while the strongest of us faced Yen'fay. She opted to make a volcano our battleground to discourage the turncloaks from following us. We finally defeated Yen'fay yesterday, but we also found out Walhart killed Basilio."

Takumi bowed his head. "My condolences. I've never met Basilio, but from what I've heard about him, it sounds like you lost a great man."

"The worst part is that I knew this would happen," Lucina said sadly. "Basilio perished the same way in my world. I tried to stop him from going, but he was having none of it."

"I see. If that's the case, we should ensure his death isn't in vain. What's the plan now?"

"Walhart's currently in retreat," said Chrom. "We'll confront him at Valm's capital and put a stop to him for good."

"Tharja said more or less the same thing," Takumi mused. "Still, that doesn't explain why Robin refused to sleep altogether for this long. I don't like randomly waking up in her body, but that isn't worth compromising her health."

"I've lost track of how many times I've told her that," Chrom sighed. "Robin is horribly stubborn. Time and time again she throws herself into her work with little regard for her own well-being. She always insists she's fine, but I worry about her. I wish she didn't always try to shoulder so much by herself."

That sounded more familiar than Takumi cared to admit. His siblings, especially Hinoka, had scolded him on more than one occasion for training too hard or taking on too many enemies at once. Still, it wasn't the same. The Shepherds depended on Robin; without her, they stood no chance. Meanwhile he had to struggle just to keep up with Ryoma and Hinoka. He had to keep improving, or else he'd be of no use to anyone.

He gave a start when he realized that Robin must have gone out of her way to prevent the switching because he wasn't good enough to take her place. The plan she came up with was complex, and she had decided to risk her own well-being rather than drop everything on him.

Takumi clenched his fists. Once again, he was holding people back because he was too weak. He had to get better, or else Robin could end up sick or worse. He couldn't let this happen again.

"Prince Chrom!" The swordmaster Say'ri ran up to them. "Will we be marching soon?"

"As soon as everyone is packed and ready," Chrom replied.

"I would like to request a slight detour," said Say'ri. "I received word from one of our messengers that the Voice recently headed to Naga's Cradle to regain her power. I would like to ensure no harm has befallen her. We'll pass by there on our way to the capital, so we wouldn't have to go far out of our way, either."

"I see no problems with that," said Chrom. "What do you think, Robin?"

Takumi considered what to do. It sounded like they needed to reach Walhart as soon as possible, but on the other hand, Lady Tiki was an important icon to the people of Valm. The people's spirits would plummet if she were harmed or captured. With a nod, Takumi made up his mind.

"If it's on our way to the capital, then it shouldn't delay us for too long," he reasoned.

"It's settled then," said Chrom. "We'll make for Naga's Cradle first."

Once the day's march began, Takumi found himself impressed by the army's pace. So the Shepherds could get things done if they put their minds to it. Unfortunately, Robin's weary body wasn't up to the task. Takumi concealed his exhaustion as best he could, but Chrom saw right through him and insisted that he ride with Sumia. "Gods, you're just as headstrong as Robin," the Ylissean prince chided.

Takumi sulked atop Sumia's pegasus, embarrassed that his weakness had been exposed. Deep down, he appreciated the break, but his shame overpowered everything else. It also didn't help that Sumia was as chatty as she was clumsy. He half-listened to her as she babbled on and on about some silly novel and responded with an occasional one-word affirmation. She strongly reminded him of Felicia, and he didn't have the energy or patience for those antics right now.

After what felt like an eternity, Say'ri announced they had arrived at Naga's Cradle. Takumi snapped to attention and found himself in awe at their surroundings. The land was lush and green, and the scent of wildflowers filled the air. There was also some sort of shrine, presumably dedicated to the Divine Dragon of this land. It all reminded him of Hoshido, and he felt a sudden pang of homesickness. With some effort, he suppressed the feeling and hurried to join Chrom, Lucina, and Say'ri at the front of the army.

A short distance away, a woman sat within a grove of trees and flowers located in front of the Divine Dragon shrine. Her pale green hair and pointed ears stood out to Takumi. This had to be Lady Tiki. Her eyes were closed and her expression was calm, and she remained motionless except for her breathing. Lucina attempted to speak with her but got no response. Say'ri asked the princess to be silent, as Lady Tiki was performing a rite to draw the Divine Dragon's power into herself.

 _Some rite this is,_ Takumi thought.  _She looks like she's fast asleep! I wouldn't have expected a Divine Dragon's oracle to be so… carefree._

Just then, his sharp eyes caught silhouettes approaching from the south. As they got closer, he recognized the shapes of pegasus and wyvern riders.

"Chrom! Lucina! Say'ri! We've got company!" he shouted.

Chrom quickly spotted the invaders and scowled. "Gods, there are so many of them! Shepherds, to arms!"

"The Voice is defenseless in her current state," Say'ri warned. "We must do all in our power to shield her until the rite is complete. Robin, we await your orders!"

Takumi swallowed hard and nodded. The fear of failure once again weighed him down and set his heart racing. He took a deep breath to settle his nerves. This was his chance to prove himself. He had to show Robin what he was capable of.

"They're all riding flying mounts," he began. "We'll need every archer in our ranks."

Virion, Kiragi, and Noire all stepped forward. It was a lower number than Takumi liked, but they would have to do.

"Miriel, Morgan, Ricken. Your Wind tomes are perfect for knocking those mounts out of the sky." The three mages nodded, and Takumi continued. "We'll send our own fliers to intercept the enemy before they cross the valley. That should slow them down enough for the archers and mages to shoot them down. Libra, Maribelle, I want you two to keep our front fighters going with your staves. The rest of you are in charge of protecting Lady Tiki from anyone who slips through. Does everyone understand their roles?"

The army responded with a unanimous "yes".

"Then let's get out there and show 'em who's boss!"

Everyone scattered and rushed to their positions just as the first enemy soldiers crossed the valley. From this distance, Takumi was able to identify them as Risen. They seemed hell-bent on getting to Lady Tiki no matter what, and in fact tried all they could to get around the Shepherds instead on engaging them directly. The archers, mages, and fliers had their hands full trying to stop them and many reached the main army. Fortunately, the ground troops were able to slay each Risen before they could attack Lady Tiki.

Despite the severity of the situation, Robin's future children remained in good spirits. In fact, it sounded like they were having a competition to see who could shoot down more Risen. Takumi had half a mind to scold them for being so lighthearted about such a serious matter, but he couldn't leave his current position. Besides, their game was only helping the army, and Takumi was just as guilty of trying to show his skills off to his siblings while in the thick of battle.

The Risen kept on coming. Lady Tiki remained unharmed, but everyone else was tiring from the seemingly endless waves of enemies. Takumi gritted his teeth as he cut down what felt like his hundredth wyvern. If the situation didn't improve soon, they'd all collapse from exhaustion.

A pain-filled cry rang above the din of battle and drew Takumi's attention. Kiragi had fallen, likely injured by the falcon knight that was now charging towards the main army. Worry surged through Takumi, and without a second thought he rushed to the young archer's side.

"Kiragi! Are you alright?!" he exclaimed.

Kiragi managed a grin even as he clutched the wound on his side. Despite his efforts to staunch it, blood rapidly stained his shirt. "I'll be fine. I've been through worse."

"You're in no shape to continue fighting," Takumi chided, shaking his head. "We need to get you patched up. I'll take your place in the meantime."

"What?! But―"

"Maribelle! We need your help over here!" yelled Takumi. While the troubadour galloped to Kiragi's aid, Takumi took the boy's bow and quiver. He decided that ensuring the army got through this alive was more important than keeping his identity secret. As the next Risen flew toward him, he took aim and let his arrow loose. The dark pegasus screamed as the arrow pierced its heart. It then plummeted into the valley, taking its rider with it. Every enemy wyvern, falicorn, or griffon that entered Takumi's sights met the same fate.

He soon felt his arms and fingers ache from performing motions Robin's body was unaccustomed to. Sweat poured down his forehead and his breathing was labored, but still he pressed on. The reinforcements were finally thinning, and Maribelle was nearly finished healing Kiragi. Takumi squinted to refocus his blurring vision and prepared another arrow as yet another wyvern approached. He had to hold on for just a little longer.

The wyvern roared, and Takumi released the bowstring. He winced as a sharp sting filled his fingertips, but the arrow hit its mark and the mount crashed to the ground below. Alarmed, Takumi examined his hand. Just as he suspected, his fingers were bleeding.

"By the gods, Robin!" Maribelle screeched as she grabbed Takumi's hand. "I care not if you're a lowborn; it's highly inappropriate for a lady to tear her own hands apart! And when in the world did you learn how to use a bow?!"

"That was amazing, Mom!" exclaimed Kiragi. "But… is your hand okay? It looks really bad."

"I'll be fine," Takumi croaked. Maribelle was already taking care of his injury, but he could no longer stave off his exhaustion. His arms felt like wet noodles and just standing was a chore. He cursed his weakness. He was of no use to anyone like this.

"Ah! Lady Tiki!" Say'ri's sudden shout drew Takumi's attention. The Voice's green eyes had opened at last, and she was quietly observing her would-be attackers. "Are you unharmed, milady?"

"Yes, thanks to all of you," said Lady Tiki. Despite her youthful appearance, wisdom and strength filled her voice. "I apologize for the delay, but the rite has borne fruit. I've absorbed some of the Divine Dragon's power. And from the looks of things, we need it right now."

"Are you sure about this, milady?" asked Say'ri.

"Yes. The Shepherds have protected me twice now. It is time for me to return the favor." Lady Tiki clutched a small blue stone in her hand and closed her eyes. Light enveloped her form, and in her place stood a fearsome white dragon. She took to the skies and engulfed the remaining Risen with her fire breath. Takumi watched her in awe. So Lady Tiki could change into a dragon like Nowi, Nah, and Corrin, but she was far stronger than all of them. In no time, the Risen and their mounts were reduced to charred corpses.

With the enemies taken care of, Lady Tiki landed and reverted to her human form. She stated that she would join the Shepherds for the remainder of their journey, saying that she was tired of solitude and wished to use her power to help save the world. The army then set up camp for the night so they could treat the wounded and get some much-needed rest.

Morgan and Kiragi helped Takumi get back to Robin's tent. Both were quite upset about his recklessness, and he was too tired to argue with them. He still had to write Robin a report, too, and he wanted to finish it as quickly as possible so he could get some sleep. As soon as the boys left him alone, he grabbed a pen and paper and began to write. His fingers ached and his eyelids kept sliding shut, but keeping good communication with Robin was imperative. He had to tell her to take better care of herself so they wouldn't have this problem again.

Outside, Kiragi let go of the tent flap and exchanged a worried glance with his brother.

"Do you think Mother's all right?" asked Morgan. "She's been acting weird all day."

Kiragi bit his lip. Weird was one way to put it. Up until today, his mother acted exactly as he remembered her. Now, however, she was definitely not herself. Everything she did and said was so unlike her, but still hauntingly familiar. Her crossed arms, her serious tone, and especially her miraculous talent with the bow were all hallmarks of someone else he knew very well.

"I'm not sure," he said at last. "I don't think she's in any danger, but I wish I knew what was going on."

"This has happened before, actually," said Morgan. "When Mother first found me, she acted just like today, but the day after that, she was back to normal."

"Really? Weird. I'm guessing she didn't say anything about it either, huh?"

Morgan shook his head. "Nope. She just brushed off my questions and told me not to worry about it.'"

"I wonder if that letter she's writing has any clues," Kiragi hummed.

"Wait, are you saying we should sneak in and read it?!" exclaimed Morgan.

"Ssh, not so loud!" Kiragi hissed. "But yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying."

"What's this? Two young boys up to no good?"

The pair jumped and paled when they saw the unexpected intruder.

"L-L-Lady Tiki!" Morgan squeaked. "W-were you listening the whole time?"

"I just happened to be passing by," said Tiki. "That said, I too, am curious about Robin. Humans are volatile creatures, but even they typically do not change personality in the span of a few days."

"Right! That's why we gotta find out what's going on!" chirped Kiragi.

"My, aren't you an energetic one? It reminds me of my younger days," Tiki giggled. "Very well. I won't tell anyone about your mischief, but in exchange, you'll have to tell me anything you find out about Robin. Does that sound reasonable?"

"Yes, ma'am!" the boys declared.

That night, Kiragi and Morgan snuck through the camp and slipped soundlessly into Robin's tent. Thankfully, their mother was out like a light and snoring softly. The two boys split up and searched opposite sides of the tent for the letter. They flipped through Robin's books and rummaged through her coat, pausing every few seconds to check if she was still asleep.

"Psst! Kiragi! I think I found it!" Morgan whispered. Kiragi tiptoed over to his brother, who held a neatly folded piece of paper in his hands. "It was in Mother's favorite strategy book," Morgan explained.

Kiragi took the paper and unfolded it so that both of them could read it. "Huh? This letter is addressed to Mom! That doesn't make any sense!"

"Maybe it's the wrong one?" Morgan suggested.

"No, this has to be what she was writing earlier," said Kiragi. "Stuff that happened today is in here. But… there's some weird stuff, too. It says, 'Don't speak of the land in your dreams.' What's that supposed to mean? And why would Mom write a letter to herself?"

"Kiragi, look!" whispered Morgan. "The letter's signed 'Tah-koo-mee'!"

"Wh-what?!" Kiragi glanced at the bottom of the letter and his heart stopped when he read the signature. "D-Dad?!"

Robin moaned and began to stir, and panic surged through the two boys. Kiragi hurriedly refolded the letter and stuffed it back in the strategy book's front cover before he and Morgan fled for their lives. They only stopped running once they made it safely back inside Kiragi's tent.

"That was too close," Morgan managed to say between breaths.

"Yeah," Kiragi agreed. "But at least we found what we were looking for."

"Why did you yell 'Dad' back there?" asked Morgan. "Did Father have something to do with 'Tah-koo-mee'?"

"Morgan…" Kiragi took a deep breath and sighed. "Takumi  _is_ Dad."

"What?! Really?!" Morgan yelped. "Now I'm even more confused! It's weird enough that Mother wrote herself a letter, but why would she use someone else's name? And you told me Father isn't even in the Shepherds!"

"Maybe… it wasn't a letter to herself at all."

"Huh?"

"I'm not positive, but based on Mom's behavior today and that letter, I'm willing to bet that's actually Dad using Mom's body."

Morgan gaped at his brother. "Wh-what?! But how?!"

"I dunno, but it's the only explanation that makes sense," said Kiragi.

"What do you think we should do?" asked Morgan.

"Well, we did promise to tell Lady Tiki if we found anything," Kiragi recalled. "But I'm guessing Mom and Dad don't want too many people finding out if they're going through so much trouble to keep this secret. So aside from Lady Tiki, let's not tell anyone."

"That sounds fair. But wow, this is a lot to take in."

"Yeah…"

"Kiragi? Are you okay?"

Kiragi sniffled and brushed away the tears he could no longer hold back. "I'm fine. I'm just… I'm so happy Dad's okay."

"I'm sorry," Morgan mumbled as he bowed his head. "I still don't remember anything about Father."

"Don't worry about it, Little Bro," said Kiragi. "It'll come back to you eventually. Say, if you want, I'd be happy to tell you all about him. It might even spark a memory or two!"

"You really think so?" asked Morgan.

"Sure! No harm in trying, right?" Kiragi chirped. "Now then, where do I begin?"

"Can you tell me more stories from when we were young?"

"Sounds good to me! Let's see… It all started when you found a roach under your bed…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all the support! I appreciate your patience as well. Chapter 10 was not as long as this chapter, but I've been playing quite a bit of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, so it was still delayed. Also, Summer Takumi recently hit FEH and I am in love. The timing is really fitting because I got to write Takumi's playful side a bit in this chapter. I'll keep trying to find time to write to meet my one chapter a month goal, but it isn't always easy. I get stuck a lot. But it's been incredibly rewarding having this fic slowly unfold. I'll keep riding this wave of inspiration as long as I can!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Try as you might, you can't keep a secret from your siblings forever.

Robin stared at her hand in horror. It still crackled with electricity, proof of her unforgivable action. Chrom collapsed at her feet and begged her to escape with his dying breath.

No. This was all wrong. How did things come to this? Validar's laughter echoed through the air even as she fell to her knees and covered her ears.

_Murderer. Monster._ _**You** _ _did this._

"No, no, no… I'm not… I didn't mean to…"

_It's your fault. The person who gave you a purpose is dead. You have nothing left to live for._

"Shut up! Go away!"

_You will be shunned. Ostracised. Your "friends" will never forgive you for what you did._

She squeezed her eyes shut. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

_You know what I'm saying is true. Try as you might, you cannot escape your fate. Those petty human emotions and bonds will only drag you into the pits of despair._

"No, that's not…"

_I can save you. I can break you from your mortal chains and unending pain. Accept my power. Become a god!_

"I… I…" Her limbs fell to her side. Against her will, her lips moved. "I accept."

The mark on the back of her right hand pulsed painfully. The pain rapidly spread through her whole body, and then all hell broke loose. Her gloves shredded as fingers morphed into sharp talons. Six wings burst free from her back, stretching and flapping several times. Her hair receded and her face extended into a long snout. Her teeth grew until each was longer and sharper than any sword. She opened her mouth to scream, but instead a draconic roar filled her ears. She then found herself falling endlessly as the world crumbled before her six eyes.

"NO!"

Tears dripped down Robin's face as she fought to catch her breath. This nightmare was the most vivid one yet. She wiped her eyes and hugged herself―or rather, Takumi's torso. She took back all her previous complaints; she vastly preferred this over becoming a monster.

She understood now. Her dream was a warning of what would unfold if they brought the Fire Emblem to Plegia when they went to claim the final Gemstone. She wasn't surprised Validar would pull such a dirty trick. Still, they would need that stone, and leaving the Emblem behind was too risky. Thankfully, she had an ace up her sleeve in the form of Basilio, who managed to survive his duel with Walhart by playing dead. No one except her and Chrom knew the West Khan was still alive, and that knowledge would have to stay secret for her plan to work.

"Takumi?"

Robin stiffened at the soft voice. Azura had entered the tent, her strange golden eyes shining with concern. Robin had spoken with the songstress only a couple of times, and she was unsure how to react.

"You're crying," Azura noted. "It was another nightmare, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Robin admitted as she wiped her remaining tears away. "Sorry for bothering you."

"It's no bother at all," said Azura. "We may not be blood-related, but you're still family to me."

"Oh." Robin felt her face burn. She hadn't expected such an intimate response.

"I know I haven't been the best sister figure, but I want to change that. Queen Mikoto wanted us to treat each other like real siblings."

"Oh. Um… How do you want to go about doing that?"

"Do you mind if I sing for you?"

Robin scratched the back of her head, feeling bashful. "No, not at all. Go right ahead."

Azura's voice was enchanting. It wrapped Robin in a blanket of calm and chased the remnants of her nightmare away. She closed her eyes and let the song envelop her senses. She felt so light she thought she might float away. Once the song ended, she reopened her eyes and noticed Azura looking at her intently.

"How are you feeling?" asked the songstress.

"Better, thank you," Robin said with a small smile.

Azura's expression turned serious. "You're not Takumi."

Robin's heart froze. Her mouth hung open but any words she could think to defend herself with died on her tongue.

"Please don't be alarmed," Azura soothed. "My song didn't bother you, so I know you're not our enemy. But I want to know who you are and why you've taken over Takumi's body."

"It's not so much 'taken over' as 'forced into'," Robin explained. "You see…"

Azura patiently listened while Robin recounted her tale. To her surprise, the songstress reacted with understanding rather than disbelief. "So you and Takumi have been switching bodies... I suspected he was being controlled, but I didn't realize it wasn't intentional."

"You knew all along?!" Robin exclaimed.

"You're not exactly the best at mimicking him," said Azura.

Robin winced. "I won't deny that. Why didn't you say anything sooner, then?"

"Takumi's retainers beat me to the punch," Azura explained. "And since Takumi returned to normal the next day, confronting him then wouldn't have gone well. The two of us have never been very close even though we grew up together. You see, I spent my early childhood in Nohr, and I'm sure you're aware of Takumi's feelings regarding Nohrians."

"I am. But I'm surprised you didn't at least inform his siblings."

"About that…" Azura turned toward the entrance. "You all can come in now."

Robin blanched as the entire Hoshidan royal family entered the tent. "Y-you guys?! Were you eavesdropping the whole time?!"

"We were all worried about Big Brother," said Sakura. "And to be honest, we figured out the truth a long time ago."

"You  _all_ knew?!"

"Do you really think we wouldn't notice that our brother's personality changed overnight?" Hinoka asked as she crossed her arms.

Robin threw herself to the floor, bowing so deeply that her forehead touched the ground. "I'm so sorry! I really just wanted to fix this without anyone realizing anything was wrong. I don't belong in this army, so―"

"Robin." The tactician flinched at Ryoma's voice. "Stand up. There is no need to grovel."

She timidly lifted her head, but remained on her knees. Her face burned with shame, and she couldn't muster the courage to make eye contact with the royals.

"You realize that your deception put Takumi in serious danger, don't you?" asked Ryoma.

"Yes, and I understand if you'll never forgive me for that," Robin said softly. "I've seen the sorrow and pain of someone who's lost a sibling. I'm sorry for making you all go through that."

"You better be!" Hinoka snapped. "Do you have any idea how worried we all were when you got zapped by that mage? We already lost our mother. We could've lost our brother too because of you!"

Robin shrunk under Hinoka's fiery gaze, but she knew she deserved all of those harsh words. "You're right. Regardless of my intentions, what I did was selfish. I won't ask for forgiveness. You can do with me as you will."

"W-we're not going to punish you!" cried Sakura. "And even if we were, you're in Big Brother's body! It'd only hurt him!"

"Oh. Right." Robin felt the tips of her ears burn. "By the way, if you all knew about me all this time, why didn't you say anything?"

"Getting Takumi to admit something's wrong with him is like trying to get Niles to stop using innuendos in every sentence," said Corrin. When Robin stared at her in confusion, she elaborated. "In other words, it's VERY difficult to do. Even if we asked him about it, he'd insist that nothing was wrong and he'd handle it himself. Besides, even when you were in control, the worst thing you did was throw things at people."

"It's a bad habit," Robin admitted. "I blame Chrom."

"Who?"

"My best friend who also happened to walk in on me while I was bathing, even when I explicitly told him to WAIT OUTSIDE."

"So that's why you were screaming at Hinata in the hot spring," Corrin said with a laugh. "And I'm guessing you were the one who bruised Leo's nose that same day?"

"He was asking for it," Robin huffed.

"Now you sound like Takumi!" Corrin giggled.

"Jokes aside, that still doesn't explain why you waited until now to confront me."

"Corrin persuaded us to give you a chance," said Ryoma. "Although I did have my retainers keep a sharp eye on you, just in case."

"Wait, really? I never noticed them!" Robin exclaimed.

"Well, Saizo and Kagero are both ninjas," said Corrin. "Being covert is their job. Although I have to admit they still startle me when they pop out of nowhere."

"I also asked everyone to wait on confronting you," Azura added. "I wanted to get a chance to sing for you without rousing suspicion. I can't explain all the details here, but my song is one of our enemy's greatest weaknesses. If his influence was controlling Takumi, then my song would have driven it out or at least made it react."

"I guess that makes sense," said Robin. "So, what happens now?"

"Well, Corrin?" Azura prompted.

"Takumi likes her. I'd say that's reason enough to believe in her."

" _Likes_  me?!" Robin shrieked. "You've gotta be pulling my leg! After all I've done, he must hate my guts!"

"Is that what you think?" Corrin asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Why don't you take a look at what he left for you?"

After a minute of awkward shuffling in the crowded tent, Corrin dropped a pile of books and papers in Robin's lap. The tactician picked up one of the books and narrowed her eyes at the title. "This is Hoshidan. I can't read this."

"Open it."

Inside the cover lay an extra sheet of paper. Robin's eyes widened as she snatched the paper and scanned it over. "This is Takumi's handwriting! Wait, is this a translation?"

"Interesting. I didn't expect you to be on such familiar terms with him," Ryoma remarked.

Robin squeaked and hid her flaming face. "Oh, no, I did it again!"

"Did what again?" asked Corrin.

"I keep forgetting his title. You see, the royalty where I come from are very laid-back. I don't mean to be disrespectful. It's just habit."

Corrin smiled. "Is that all? Don't worry about it."

"But Oboro said―"

"She's not here right now, and neither is Takumi. If you're more comfortable with not using honorifics, I don't have a problem with it."

"All right," Robin conceded. "What about the rest of you?"

"I-I don't mind," Sakura said shyly.

"Hearing you call me 'Princess' in my brother's voice would be too weird," Hinoka stated.

"I've never been much for formalities," said Azura.

"It would be senseless to use titles at this point, especially since you're masquerading as Takumi," Ryoma finished. "It seems we're all in agreement, then. However, I imagine Takumi will not be as accommodating."

Robin's shoulders slumped as she sighed. "I figured out that much. He was quite cross about that in his last letter."

"Don't let it get you down," said Corrin. "Takumi was just as surly to me. If he truly hated you, he wouldn't have bothered trying to teach you Hoshidan."

"Well… If you say so." Robin had a hard time believing it, though.

"Great!" Corrin clapped her hands together. "Now that that's settled, we can move on with today's plan!"

"What plan?"

"We have to continue our march, but we can't take you along. Sorry. Ryoma, Hinoka, and Sakura were really upset after what happened at the Bottomless Canyon. Plus, we're going to need the Fujin Yumi's power in our coming battles, and obviously you can't use it."

"Can't say I'm surprised. But how are you gonna explain that to everyone?"

"Leave that to me," said Sakura. "The army won't object to healer's orders."

"Thank you, Sakura," Robin said with a smile.

"It's no problem. Although… I'm sorry I sent you to the hot spring before. I-I didn't realize you were a girl!"

"Hey, it all worked out in the end. Honestly, I'm relieved that I don't have to hide myself from you guys anymore."

"Just watch it, you hear?" Hinoka warned. "I won't forgive you if you get our brother hurt again!"

"Yes, ma'am," Robin gulped.

The royals gave Robin a brief rundown of what the plan was for the day. They then finally left her alone to get ready. From the sound of things, she would basically have the astral plane to herself. She took a handful of Takumi's long hair and smiled.

_I can't let this opportunity go to waste!_

She wore Takumi's usual pineapple ponytail when she ate breakfast, but once she got back to her tent she went straight to work on braiding. She couldn't wipe the giddy grin off her face. Despite the difficulty of her task, she was having too much fun working her fingers through Takumi's hair. It was so soft, shiny, and beautiful.

"I wish I could do this every day," she said softly.

"Talking to yourself?"

Robin stiffened, hands still entangled in Takumi's hair. Upon seeing the unwanted intruder, she picked up the nearest book and threw it at his face.

"What the hell are you doing here, Leo?!" she yelled as she hurled more of Takumi's things. "Do you not have enough decency to ask for permission before you barge into someone's tent?!"

"Will you cut that out?!" Leo snapped. He was doing an admirable job of shielding himself from any more projectiles. "You're gonna break something at this rate!"

"Yeah, your stupid face!"

"ENOUGH!" yelled Leo, and suddenly Robin found herself slammed to the ground. She managed to lift her face up, but an invisible force pinned the rest of her body down. She scowled at Leo, who was holding an unfamiliar tome open in his hand. It was purple and inscribed with an ornate black pattern.

"I'm suddenly glad I brought Brynhildr with me," said Leo. "You're quite the firebrand, Robin."

"H-How―"

"Don't be ridiculous. You're an abysmal actor, and it was a simple matter to have Niles spy on you."

"Pompous  _and_  nosy, huh?" Robin retorted. "If you knew all this time, then why didn't you rat me out?"

"This is an intriguing situation, to say the least," Leo began. "Two people randomly switching bodies without any obvious cause. It's very rare that I come across something magic-related that I am unfamiliar with. How could I miss the chance to study such an occurrence when it's happening right under my nose?"

"Gods, you sound exactly like Miriel," Robin moaned. "I can tell I won't be able to dissuade you, so do as you wish. But you can at least let me get up now?"

"Only if you promise to stop throwing things at me."

"Fine, fine. I promise." Leo snapped his tome shut, and Robin immediately felt the invisible weight disappear from her body. She sat up and groaned as she rolled her shoulders. "Geez, what did that crazy tome do to me? That was no ordinary magic."

"I simply increased the force of gravity around your body. In layman's terms, you became too heavy to lift yourself off the ground."

"No way! A tome that controls  _gravity_?!" Robin shrieked. "Where did you get it?!"

Leo scowled at her. "That's none of your business. Besides, I'm the one who should be asking the questions here!"

"You're not getting out of this that easily," Robin challenged. "A tactician never lets useful information slip away."

"You're a tactician?" Leo asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes. I'm the tactician for the Ylissean army, under the command of Prince Chrom."

"A royal tactician? I never would have guessed with that attitude."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Robin growled. "Anyways, Chrom isn't exactly your typical royal."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He has a tendency to think with his heart rather than his head, and he'd much rather tackle problems himself than have someone else take care of them." She smiled fondly. "He's an absolute idiot sometimes, but I've never met anyone more kind and dependable."

"Interesting," Leo mused. "How did you end up under his command?"

"Well, he found me unconscious in a field about two years ago and took me in."

Leo almost dropped his tome in shock. "He picked you up off the ground and made you his tactician just like that?! What kind of gullible fool is this prince?!"

"To be fair, he has an extremely loyal and overprotective knight looking after him," Robin explained. "Honestly, his willingness to trust others is one of the things I admire about him."

"Very well," Leo sighed. "I think I understand. This Chrom sounds very much like Corrin. It begs the question, though: how did you end up in that field in the first place?"

"I don't know. I can't remember anything that happened before I woke up there. I remember my name, I'm familiar with swords and tomes, and I feel like I studied battle strategies intensively. But aside from that, everything's a blank."

"Amnesia, huh? That could complicate things."

"Why are you asking all these questions, anyway? Don't you have to march soon?"

"It's all for my research into the switching, of course," said Leo. "And you're right; we are marching soon. But first, one more question: why was there such a long delay in the switching this time?"

"I… I wasn't sleeping," Robin admitted, averting her eyes. "The Ylissean army was on the verge of a major battle. I didn't want to risk switching until it was over."

"You didn't sleep for almost a week? How reckless of you."

"Hey, I took naps! I mean, in hindsight, that wasn't one of my best plans, but I don't know what else I could have done."

"You're both insufferable fools," Leo muttered.

"Wha― Hey!" Robin protested.

"I must be going now," the prince interrupted. "We'll continue this later. I suggest you get rid of that unsightly mess of a braid before I return."

"Wh-why you―" Robin snarled, but Leo was already gone. "I didn't get to finish thanks to you, you moron!"

As her temper cooled, Robin glanced at Takumi's belongings scattered around the tent and felt her heart sink. Her half-finished braid wasn't in much better condition. "Gods, I'm a mess…"

She gathered up all of the books and papers and stacked them in a neat pile. She found a letter from Takumi amongst the translations and began to read it while she fixed her hair.

"No way! Leo saved his life?!" The pit in her stomach grew as she continued to read. "Gods… Compared to Leo, I'm no help at all…"

She finished her braid and tied off the tip with one of Takumi's hair ribbons. Then she gathered the books and their translations in her arms and peeked outside. After making sure no one was around, she sat by the amber spring in order to examine her reflection.

Robin's breath caught. Takumi looked simply stunning in a braid. He could have passed for a beautiful woman were it not for his rougher features. Even then, the look suited him perfectly.

_How ironic. This body is so beautiful, but it can't hide the monster lurking in my heart._

She saw it so clearly now. The beast from her nightmare bared its fangs whenever her temper snapped. She was amazed Chrom forgave her over and over no matter how often she zapped him. Her encounters with Leo and the Hoshidan royal family only hammered home that she hadn't changed at all. She wanted to believe she was a good person, but if she failed to control her inner demon, her nightmare would surely come true.

"I have to be better," she said softly. "I  _want_  to be better. I don't want to hurt people anymore." She picked up one of the children's books and the translation Takumi made. "If I learn this language, I should be able to help Takumi more. It's the least I can do to make things up to him."

As she expected, Hoshidan was a difficult language to learn. She had to memorize the appearances and sounds of dozens of characters, and the grammar structure was completely reversed compared to her native tongue. She greatly respected Takumi and the other Hoshidans for being fluent in both languages. Aside from his wobbly penmanship, Takumi could pass for a native speaker of Common―or Nohrian, as it was called here. Robin even found a certain charm in his handwriting, and it was a sight better than the scribbles that resulted from her attempts to write Hoshidan.

She retreated to her tent when she heard the portal to the outside world open. According to Takumi, the astral plane was a sort of pocket dimension that Corrin could access anytime and anywhere. It sounded extremely useful. No one had to keep watch at night, and the army never needed to set up or tear down their camp. Robin couldn't help but wish the Ylissean army had something similar, but she knew things couldn't be that easy.

Oboro and Hinata dropped by shortly afterwards. Their faces turned bright red at the sight of Robin, and she realized that she forgot to remove her braid. "Uh…" She nervously averted her eyes and scratched her cheek. "How do I look?"

Oboro swooned and Hinata had to catch her. Panicked, Robin rushed over to check on her. "Wh-what happened?! Is she all right?!"

"She'll be fine in a minute," said Hinata. "You just overwhelmed her."

Robin undid her braid while she waited for Oboro to regain her senses. The retainer moaned and came to just as Robin finished making a new ponytail. "Huh? Where am I?"

"You're in my tent," said Robin.

Oboro yelped and bowed before her. "F-forgive me, Lord Takumi! That was very unbecoming of me!"

"Calm down. It's me, Robin. And I should be the one apologizing. I didn't mean to make you faint."

"Robin?" She straightened up and scowled. "You'd better not breathe a word of this to anyone! That goes for you, too, Hinata!"

"What did I do?!" Hinata yelped.

"Don't worry, Oboro. I already promised to keep your crush secret," said Robin. "That reminds me, the two of you should know that more people know about me."

"What? Who?" the pair asked.

"Takumi's― I mean,  _Prince_ Takumi's siblings as well as Prince Leo and Lady Azura. Their retainers likely know, too."

"So they did know all this time," Oboro mused. "Lord Takumi already told us about Prince Leo, but I still don't like it. What if that Nohrian scum sells you out to his family?"

"I don't think we have to worry about that," said Robin. "I spoke with him earlier and he's more interested in the cause of the switching than anything else. It's a little creepy, but I think he's harmless. He did save Prince Takumi's life, after all."

"Don't remind me…" Oboro groaned.

"We both failed in our duties as retainers that day…" Hinata lamented.

"Hey, cheer up, guys," encouraged Robin. "No one's perfect. Your master's alive, so everything worked out in the end."

Oboro huffed. "I suppose."

"Well, why don't we get some dinner?" Robin suggested, eager to change the subject. "I need more practice with using chopsticks."

"Try not to stab the food with them this time," said Hinata.

Robin felt Leo's eyes on her almost the entire time she ate―or rather attempted to eat while she fumbled with the chopsticks. The Nohrian prince clearly wanted to question her more, but dared not approach while Takumi's retainers were at her side. Frankly, she was relieved. She wasn't in the mood to speak with him, as she was more interested in continuing to learn Hoshidan.

After Oboro wrote Takumi her letter for the day, Robin asked her to bring more Hoshidan material to study. As usual when she got invested in something, Robin stayed up far too late. She only realized how late it was when her candle began to dim. She yawned and stretched, stiff from leaning over her books for so long. Before she turned in for the night, she wanted to show Takumi what she had learned. However, she didn't want to mar his books and letters, and it was too late to ask for more paper.

She picked up the pen Takumi had used to translate the books and pressed it to her arm. She didn't want to desecrate it with her atrocious attempts at writing Hoshidan characters, so she instead wrote the sounds as if they were written in Common. It was a technique Takumi had used to help her learn how the characters sounded, but she had learned this phrase during her own studying.

_Arigato gozaimasu._

She hoped this ink would stick better, as Takumi had been livid about his sheets being stained last time. At least there was a lot less of it, so any damage would be minimal.

Robin yawned again, changed into Takumi's nightclothes, and blew out the melted remains of her candle. She climbed into bed, but her nightmare flashed through her mind and her eyes flew open.

"No… I won't become a monster!" she swore. "I'm not a pawn of some scripted fate. I make my own destiny. Takumi… Just watch me. I promise I'll improve myself, for both our sakes!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hard time writing again, but somehow still managed to finish another chapter before the end of August. Xenoblade 2 is partially to blame again, but I also just kept getting stuck. At least this chapter is pretty lengthy to help make up for the wait. It's been hard squeezing in time to write lately, but I'll keep trucking along. I'm determined to see this through.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Injured in battle, Takumi laments his weakness. Does the army even need him?

"Big Brother, that was reckless."

"Not you too, Sakura…"

Takumi grimaced as his sister finished binding the gash in his leg. The wound was deep, and he likely wouldn't be able to walk properly for a day or two, even with Sakura's care.

_I'm still too weak._

He had been eager to rejoin the army after his day-long absence, but on their trek through a deep forest, they were attacked by Azura's mother, Arete. Anankos had resurrected her and used her as his puppet. In the battle with her troops, Takumi had charged off on his own, hoping to prove himself. However, an enemy ninja ambushed and wounded him, and Hinoka ended up coming to his rescue. She had followed him the second she got the chance and chewed him out afterwards.

"Why do you always have to be so stubborn?!" she had yelled. "Stop trying to take everything on by yourself! We're your family! We can help you!"

"You don't have to pretend that you care!" he snapped back. "Just go on without me. I can find my way back on my own."

"What?! How could you say such a thing?!" Hinoka screeched. "Wait, where are you going?! You shouldn't move with a wound like that!"

The two of them managed to get back to the astral plane with the help of some of the other sky knights, but it left a bitter taste in Takumi's mouth. He held the army back yet again. All he ever did was drag everyone else down.

_They're better off without me. I know they all feel that way._

Unwittingly, he brushed his left arm with his thumb. The ink was long gone, but he felt like the words were still engraved on his skin. He could not fathom why Robin would write such a strong feeling of gratitude on his arm, and using his language at that.

_If she thinks she can win me over with cheap words, she's got another thing coming._

"Big Brother, are you thinking about Robin?" asked Sakura.

"What? No! Of course not!" he shouted.

Learning that his family had known about the switching all this time was embarrassing, to say the least. All his efforts to keep Robin a secret had been pointless. At the same time, though, he wasn't that surprised considering how Robin always caused some disaster whenever she used his body. Like yesterday, when she pitched his belongings at Prince Leo and messed with his hair without permission. Luckily, no one saw him with the braid aside from his retainers and Prince Leo, but at this rate the whole army would discover his secret.

"You shouldn't be so hard on her," said Sakura. "She really was sorry about everything."

He merely grumbled, not wanting to acknowledge that his sister saw right through him. Truthfully, Robin had been on his mind more often than he would admit to anyone. They really needed to stop the switching soon. He couldn't afford to be distracted by such idle thoughts.

Hinoka visited him next, and she was still furious. "What were you thinking?!"

"This again?" Takumi sighed. "Look, it doesn't matter anymore. We're both fine, aren't we?"

"That's not the point!" Hinoka snapped. "I can't believe you said such a horrible thing! Do you really think I don't care about you?!"

"It's always Corrin, Corrin, Corrin when it comes to you and Big Brother! I might as well not exist to you guys!"

Hinoka took a step back, eyes wide with shock. "Is that what you really think?"

Takumi huffed and pointedly stared at the wall of the tent. He hadn't intended to blurt all that, but the words spilled out with his frustration. He heard his sister call his name, and a moment later, she pulled him into her arms. Takumi stiffened with surprise. Hinoka was seldom this openly affectionate.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly. "I never realized you felt that way. I'm a terrible big sister."

"H-Hinoka…"

"That day at the Bottomless Canyon, when you―I mean, when Robin got you hurt, I was devastated. We all were. I was so scared that I was going to lose you. I remember what I felt when Corrin was kidnapped and when Mother died, and I… I can't go through that again! If I lose you too, I don't know if I'd be able to go on!"

Takumi remained motionless, stunned by Hinoka's confession. For once, he had no retorts.

"Of course Corrin is dear to me, but you are too," she continued. "Ryoma feels the same, even if he doesn't show it much. There's no need for you to prove yourself to us. We know you're strong. But don't you realize that we're so much stronger when we're together?"

"Big Sister…" Takumi relaxed and gently hugged her back. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's partially my fault for not making enough effort to show just how much you mean to me. Just promise me that you'll never say such a terrible thing again, okay?"

"Okay. I promise."

"Good." Hinoka pulled away and flashed him a smile. "Now take it easy and focus on getting better. I don't want to find out you worsened your injury because you snuck off to train or something!"

"Yes, Sister," Takumi drawled, rolling his eyes.

"That's the little brother I know and love!" exclaimed Hinoka. "I'll see you again later, okay?"

After she left, Takumi realized that something good actually came out of Robin's blunders. He chastised himself for thinking about that woman  _again_ and quickly focused on the Nohrian history books he hadn't finished reading. In his current state, there wasn't much else he could do.

His retainers and his other siblings all took their turns visiting him and scolded him for being reckless again. Even Princess Camilla and Princess Elise gave him an earful, with the former asking him to let her take care of him and the latter calling him a "big dummy". His mood had turned foul by the time Prince Leo came around.

"Did you come to chew me out, too?" Takumi grumbled.

"No, although it is tempting," Prince Leo replied.

"Shut up."

"In any case," Prince Leo began. "I was able to speak with Robin yesterday."

"I heard she nailed you again."

The other prince bristled. "I handled the situation just fine, thank you very much."

"I have a hard time believing that," Takumi snorted.

"Gods, the both of you are absolutely insufferable," groaned Prince Leo. "I wonder how that prince who hired her puts up with her."

"From what I understand, they're very close friends," explained Takumi. "I guess he's used to her."

"Whatever the case, that woman needs to stop throwing everything she finds in arm's reach. It's absurd."

"That's something we can agree on. I'm just glad she hasn't made the Fujin Yumi a projectile yet."

"She certainly is a feisty one. Much like someone else I know."

"Excuse me?"

"My point exactly."

Takumi growled and balled his fists. "Gods, I hate you."

"The feeling's mutual," Prince Leo quipped. "Anyway, what I was going to say earlier is that Robin provided some interesting information."

"Like what?"

"She's a lot like you, actually."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Takumi snapped. "I'm nothing like her!"

Prince Leo ignored him. "For one, you're both reckless fools. Did you realize she wasn't sleeping for your sake?"

"I-I knew that!" Takumi exclaimed. "And she won't dare try that again unless she wants more insults scribbled on her skin!"

"Both petty and temperamental as well," Prince Leo noted.

"Will you stop that?!" Takumi snapped. "And I am not reckless! It's not like I was the one avoiding sleep!"

"And who charged off on his own in battle today without sparing a thought for his own safety?"

Takumi sputtered, his tongue tied by embarrassment. The longer he struggled, the wider Prince Leo's smirk grew.

"I rest my case," he concluded.

Takumi could only seethe while the other prince gloated. Why did he have to be so damned insufferable?

"It is quite interesting, though," Prince Leo continued. "I need more evidence to prove it, of course, but I suspect that these similarities have something to do with why you're switching places."

"You couldn't have told me that right from the start?!"

"I could have if you weren't always so antagonistic. Besides, I love watching you squirm."

"That's it!" Takumi snapped. "As soon as I can walk again, you're dead!"

"I'd like to see you try," Prince Leo countered.

They both knew the threat was hollow, but Takumi wished he could follow through just to wipe that stupid smirk off the other prince's face. Prince Leo always seemed to know exactly how to get under his skin. At this point, he wasn't sure if the Nohrian prince or Robin angered him more, and he was stuck with both of them until they figured out how to stop the switches.

The gods clearly enjoyed tormenting him.

Each hour dragged by as Takumi's wound slowly healed. The army continued its advance on Castle Gyges without him, and their progress was steady. Corrin informed him that they would likely reach Anankos's doorstep in less than a week's time. It was great news, but his heart sank nonetheless. The army really was better off without him.

By the next morning, Takumi was well enough to walk, but not enough to fight. He could only watch as everyone left him behind again. He hated being so  _useless_.

The only thing he could do right now was gather more Hoshidan books for Robin. He was surprised at how enthusiastic she was about learning his language. His candle had melted down to a stub, so she must have stayed up reading well into the night. Thankfully, no one questioned him when he requested a new candle since he had done the same thing on numerous occasions.

He didn't like to admit it, but Prince Leo was right. Robin was a lot like him. Of course, they had their differences, but he never imagined he would have so much in common with a girl from a far-off land. He also never imagined he would learn so much about someone he had never met.

That reminded him that Robin wanted to see him after their respective wars were over, and since one of her future sons sported distinctly Hoshidan features, she would eventually succeed. That meant that it was even more important for her to have a good grasp of Hoshidan. Hoshidan royals and their retainers were required to learn Nohrian as part of their education, but most of the populace was fluent in only one language. Mozu, for instance, knew very little Nohrian at first. If it weren't for Corrin and Azura being constant mediators, translators, and teachers, their army would have collapsed long ago.

Takumi wondered who would eventually capture Robin's heart. She was headstrong, with a mind as sharp as a katana and a temper to match. She would easily overwhelm most men. Her future husband had to be someone extraordinary. Someone far stronger than him.

His mood worsened again at the reminder of his own weakness. He only had himself to blame for being stuck here. A prince shouldn't act blindly on emotion, but he did it anyway, over and over. He was a disgrace to his title and his country. Why would anyone want him when they already had a perfect prince in Ryoma?

Robin didn't seem to care about any of that, though. In fact, she included things she admired about him in her reports, such as his skill with the bow or the fact that he was bilingual. It was pointless flattery, but he couldn't deny that being complimented felt nice.

She also wrote that she felt terrible about causing him so much trouble and that she would do everything in her power to make things up to him. She vowed to learn as much Hoshidan as she could so she could help him more, and she said she would try to get along with Prince Leo even though he was "a pompous, nosy jerk", as she put it.

Takumi knew that if Robin was putting so much effort into this for his sake, then he had to answer in kind. No matter how insecure he felt about leading Robin's army, he would have to be strong for them. He couldn't give in until they figured out how to stop the switching for good. And then…

_And then what?_

He initially wanted to put all this behind him and forget any of it happened, but he wasn't sure he could do that anymore. Now that he knew Robin would visit Hoshido in the future, the last thing he wanted was her causing a huge scene again. Someone had to keep her in line, and he couldn't count on that idiotic Prince Chrom to do it. No, this was something he had to do himself. He would watch over her until she met her future husband, and then they would go their separate ways.

That made the fact that Robin kept invading his thoughts concerning. With each switch he inadvertently learned more about her and she became harder to ignore. How long could he go on before he found himself in too deep?

Robin at least made things easier for him with her constant bumbling. If he stayed angry with her, then he could keep distance between them. After all, their paths never should have crossed in the first place. It didn't matter how much they had in common. They had their own duties to attend to in their respective countries and lived too far apart to make visiting plausible. This was how it was meant to be.

No stupid "invisible ties" could change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, life happened and it took me a long time to write the next chapter. I have been trying to write a little bit on most days when I have some spare time, but it isn't easy, and my pace is very slow. Some days I don't get out more than a sentence or two. As a result, I don't know how regular my updates will be from now on. Still, I'm gonna keep on pushing forward a little at a time. Slow and steady wins the race!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin finally decides to give her exhausted body a break.

_Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot Idiot_

The word was scribbled all over Robin's left arm. It didn't take a genius to figure out Takumi wasn't pleased by her actions. There was also an  _IDIOT_  written in all capitals on her forehead, which she didn't discover until after Tharja kindly pointed it out.

She definitely needed to invest in a mirror.

"Would you like me to curse that little slimeball?" Tharja asked.

"Please don't," Robin replied as she dabbed her forehead with a wet cloth. "I don't want to make the situation any worse."

"I don't understand why you're protecting him. He took quite a toll on your body yesterday. Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'll manage. I'm still kind of sore, but your hexes helped a lot."

Tharja frowned disapprovingly. "You shouldn't push yourself. I can tell you're exhausted."

"Tharja…" Robin sighed. "You're right. I  _am_  tired. But I can't rest now. Everyone's depending on me."

"I admire your selflessness, but at this rate you're going to work yourself to death," Tharja huffed.

Robin hummed in a noncommittal manner and focused on wiping the remaining ink off her face and arm. Tharja had a point, but the army simply didn't have time to take a break. They had to reach Walhart before the Valmese could regroup.

Then again, a week of next to no sleep followed by an extended archery session had left her feeling worse than she was willing to admit. She could put up a fight if she had to, but she was in no condition to face Walhart and his strongest troops. She had to hurry and regain her strength before it was too late.

That aside, there was Takumi. He undoubtedly scribbled those insults because he had to put up with her haggard condition. That wasn't fair to him, especially since she was now permanently banned from fighting while inhabiting his body. Given their current situation, she decided to take it easy for a little while for his sake, not to mention it would get Tharja off her back. She just prayed the vindictive dark mage wouldn't curse Takumi―which was precisely why she didn't want her finding out about him in the first place.

Robin mulled over Takumi's report as she began her morning patrol of camp. It had been more crumpled than usual, as if he had hastily stuffed it inside her strategy book. It wasn't like Takumi to be so careless. Either he had been forced to hide the letter in a hurry, or someone else had gotten to it and had done a poor job of concealing their tracks. Robin hoped that it wasn't the latter. The last thing she needed was to have the army in a panic over this―or worse, having their enemies find out.

She met with Say'ri and joined her for a cup of Chon'sin-style tea. She still found it horribly bitter, but she was determined to get it down without spitting or gagging. According to Takumi, Hoshidan tea was also bitter, and the last thing she wanted was to make a fool of herself again.

She also paid Tiki, their newest ally, a visit, but the ancient manakete was asleep against a tree. Robin quickly discovered Tiki talked in her sleep and even answered questions as if she were awake and listening. It was strange, but Robin made a mental note to take advantage of it in the future.

Next in line was checking on Morgan and Kiragi and ensuring they weren't causing any mischief. She had no doubt that Lissa had instructed them in the art of pranking, and that combined with the smarts they inherited from Robin was a recipe for disaster.

Her sons had slept in, which concerned her. She suspected they had stayed up late scheming something, but she had no clue what. Whatever it was, she hoped they wouldn't cause too much trouble.

The day's march thankfully began without incident. Just in case, though, she kept a sharp eye on her boys. The two constantly whispered to each other, and Robin wished she could make out what they were saying. If they had the gall to dump a bucket of water on a sleeping Takumi's head, then there was no telling what they would try next.

"Stare at those boys any harder, and you'll burn holes in their backsides."

"Tiki!" Robin exclaimed, spotting the manakete next to her.

"It's not easy being a parent, is it?" asked Tiki.

Robin sighed, scratching the back of her head. "I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that I  _have_ children. Or… will have children, I guess. Noire once told me I'm like a mother to this army, but I never imagined I'd suddenly become a real mother before I'm even married!"

"You haven't a clue about who the father is?"

"No, not at all. I can only assume I haven't met him yet."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"Wha?! What makes you say that?! And how would you know, anyway?!"

Tiki's green eyes were unreadable. "Dragonkin have a strong connection to the realm of sleep. We are prone to frequent, vivid dreams. Occasionally, our dreams turn out to be premonitions."

Robin immediately recalled the dream where she turned into a monster and shuddered. Refocusing on Tiki, she asked, "Does that mean you've seen him?"

"I haven't," the manakete replied with a shake of her head. "But perhaps you have."

"What do you mean by that?" Robin asked.

"I have reason to believe the blood of dragons flows strongly within you, Robin."

"Excuse me?!" she exclaimed. "I'm no dragon!"

"I never said you were. I only said you carry dragon blood. Naturally, it is nowhere near as potent as the blood of a true manakete," Tiki explained. "However, I believe it is responsible for some of your more unusual characteristics."

"Am I really that weird?" Robin asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"Your hair color is rare amongst humans, but fairly common in manaketes. Furthermore, I have heard about your nightmares, and as I explained earlier, frequent vivid dreaming is a draconic trait. I myself experienced countless horrible dreams in my youth. Warnings of what would happen if I, like so many of my kind, degenerated."

"Degenerated?"

"Dragons live for far longer than humans, but when we near the end of our lifespans, we gradually lose our minds and turn into feral beasts. We call this degeneration. Once it starts, the best we can hope for is a mercy killing. The ancient guardians of Valm, Mila and Duma, suffered that fate."

"That's… That's horrible!" Robin cried. "Does that mean you and Nowi and Nah―"

"No, we are not in danger of degenerating," Tiki assured. "Assuming humanoid forms and sealing our true forms into dragonstones has proven an effective means of stopping the descent into madness. When I was young, my unstable power put me at risk, but I have since gained control over it."

"I see."

"But enough about me. I'm more concerned about you."

Robin grimaced. She'd hoped Tiki had forgotten. "I hate to disappoint, but I usually wake up without remembering my dreams."

"Is that so?" asked Tiki. "Curious. In that case, it may be even more important for you to make note of any dreams you do remember."

"Tiki, you're looking into this too deeply. My dreams are nothing special," Robin protested.

Tiki sighed heavily. "Very well. If you insist, I shall not prod further."

Robin hoped her relief wasn't too obvious as she bade Tiki farewell. The manakete's curiosity about her dreams had set her on edge. Too many people already knew about her secret, and Takumi repeatedly using a bow while in her body incited much gossip. If word continued to spread, she feared she wouldn't be able to keep him safe.

_Keep Takumi safe…_

She was surprised at how strongly she desired that. It wasn't just for her body's sake, either. She wanted to protect Takumi as much as any of the Shepherds. She wasn't sure what brought it on, especially considering the prince's hostile attitude. Spending so much time in his shoes must have affected her more than she realised.

The days of travel passed uneventfully aside from a few small skirmishes with Risen. Eventually, the army stopped by a small town in order to replenish their supplies. Now that Yen'fay had fallen, the townsfolk were more than willing to lend aid.

Taking her promise to take things easy to heart, Robin left Chrom, Frederick, and Say'ri in charge of purchasing the weapons, armor, and food while she, Lissa, and Maribelle browsed the clothing and craft shops. The simple shirts and dresses were far below Maribelle's standards, but she held her tongue because Lissa was enjoying herself. Even Robin became caught up in the fun of just seeing how different clothes and accessories looked on her. She was even able to purchase the mirror she needed.

"Oooh, what are these?"

Robin turned to see what had caught Lissa's attention and her heart skipped a beat. She recognized that clothing.

"Why Lissa, darling, these are simply exquisite!" Maribelle exclaimed as she grasped and stroked a sleeve. "Such fine material! I've never seen clothing like this before. Is it some kind of robe?"

In a flash, one of Anna's many identical sisters was at their sides. "Ah, did my kimonos catch your eye, ladies?"

"Kee-moh-nohs?" Lissa repeated.

"They're traditional formal clothing for the people of Chon'sin," Anna explained with a wink. "People will pay a fortune for a good one. Lately, though, sales have been a total bust. People just aren't willing to buy luxuries when a war is going on."

"What a shame," Lissa lamented. "They're so pretty, too."

"Say, if you ladies are interested, I'm willing to let these go for a special bargain price. That slack-jawed fashion disaster over there looks like she could use one."

"Wha―" Robin realized she was gaping and snapped her mouth shut. "Wait, what do you mean, 'fashion disaster'?!"

"Um, hello? You have  _giant purple_   _eyeballs_  on your sleeves," Anna quipped. "In all my travels, I've never seen a more unflattering design."

"She has a point, dear," Maribelle stated.

Robin spluttered, feeling self-conscious. Her clothes were among her only possessions from before losing her memory. They were important to her, and she couldn't help but be protective of them, ugly patterns be damned.

Anna shoved one of the kimonos into Robin's arms and forced her into a changing room so quickly that she had no time to protest. With a sigh, she unfolded the kimono and held it in front of her. The cloth was a rich purple and decorated with numerous pink and white cherry blossoms, which contrasted with the brilliant red and gold sash. Robin hadn't intended to purchase anything, but the beautiful clothing in her hands was giving her second thoughts.

_Curse that Anna and her family's incredible talent for loosening purse strings._

She removed her coat and pulled the kimono on over her camisole and pants. "Let's see… Did this go right over left or left over right? Takumi said I have to do it the right way or I'll be seen as a walking corpse."

She squeezed her eyes shut and rummaged through the fog cloaking her memories. She saw Takumi's bed kimono folded across her chest, left side covering the right. Praying that she wasn't mistaken, she did the same with this kimono and clumsily tied the sash behind her back. It fit her surprisingly well considering how hastily Anna had chosen it.

Lissa and Maribelle's eyes lit up the moment Robin opened the door to the changing room.

"Robin! You look amazing!" exclaimed Lissa.

"I agree, although if you intend to wear that anywhere, you will have to remove those repulsive boots," Maribelle observed. "A single out of place item can sully an entire outfit. You'd do well to remember that."

"Er, I'll keep it in mind," Robin stammered.

"If you lack the proper footwear, I'll throw in some traditional sandals, too," Anna remarked. "For a small extra fee, of course."

Robin shook her head. "Thanks, but I wasn't going to buy―"

"Deal!" Lissa proclaimed as she opened her purse.

"L-Lissa! What are you―"

"You work so hard for us, Robin. Think of it as a thank-you present! I won't take 'no' for an answer. You deserve something nice for once."

"Besides, dear, you're going to have a horrid time courting anyone in that dreary coat," Maribelle added.

"I'm not courting anyone anytime soon!" Robin protested. "And I happen to like my clothes! Look, Anna, you can just take this back and I'll―"

"Sorry! All sales are final!" the merchant sang, sounding not the least bit sorry.

"I should have known," Robin grumbled.

"Stop being so stubborn, Robin," said Lissa. "Anyone else would be thrilled to get a gift."

"But I don't want to trouble you. I saw how much gold you handed over to that swindling merchant."

"Hey, it was a fair sale!" Anna snapped. "A girl needs money to get by, you know!"

Lissa ignored her and focused on Robin. "I'll use my money how I want to. I wouldn't have spent anything if I didn't think it was worth it. Have some faith in me! I'm not a child anymore!"

Robin opened her mouth to protest, but soon thought better of it and sighed. Nothing would change Lissa's mind now. She took off the kimono and carefully folded it up before accepting the matching sandals from Anna. Surprisingly, those fit too. Robin wasn't sure if she wanted to know how Anna was so good at determining a person's clothing or shoe size at a glance. That merchant family scared her more than any Risen.

"Come now, Robin, it's unbecoming for a lady to sulk," Maribelle chided as they made their way back to camp. "Think of it this way: you have something proper to wear when you next meet the one you're pining for."

Robin nearly tripped out of shock. "P-P-PINING?! Maribelle, I'm not in love!"

"Gods, and I thought Sully was obstinate," Maribelle huffed. "It's so obvious that one would have to be blind to not see it. Did you think we wouldn't notice you sneaking out on your own at ungodly hours or writing long letters in your tent? Or how every few days you suddenly become more ill-tempered than that monstrosity Cherche rides? All signs point to a heart consumed by the flames of passion!"

Robin's mind went blank. All her attempted words transformed into small squeaky noises as they exited her throat.

"C'mon, Robin! Who is it?" Lissa asked excitedly. "I promise we won't tell anyone―not even Chrom!"

"I-it's not what you think!" cried Robin. "I had my reasons for doing that stuff, and they're not at all romantic!"

"Is that so?" asked Maribelle. "In that case, you should have no problem explaining yourself."

"Er…"

Maribelle narrowed her eyes. "You're hesitating. Just come clean, dear. You don't have to protect your beloved from us."

"I told you, I'm not in love! I'd be a fool to fall for someone who hates me!"

"So there  _is_  someone!" Lissa gasped.

Robin wanted to repeatedly smash one of her newly purchased sandals into her forehead. She could face down legions of enemy soldiers without losing her cool and yet she cracked so easily whenever her secret was involved. At this rate, she wouldn't have a secret anymore.

"I knew it," Maribelle boasted. "You simply  _must_ tell us everything!"

"I can't! It's… complicated," Robin mumbled.

"What relationship isn't?" challenged Maribelle. "After all, it took some time for me to see how much of a gentleman Donnel was."

"And Lon'qu wouldn't come within ten feet of me for the longest time!" Lissa added. "And let's not forget how Olivia used to run away from Chrom if he so much as looked at her."

"Will you guys cut it out?! This is  _strictly_  a business relationship!" Robin snapped. "We met by accident and got caught up in a big mess―and no, I can't tell you about it because we swore each other to secrecy. Anyway, we agreed to work together until we've sorted everything out. He made it clear that as soon as we're done he wants nothing more to do with me."

"Geez, he sounds just like Lon'qu," Lissa remarked. "C'mon, Robin, you can't just let him go without even trying!"

Robin sighed, feeling exasperated. "I can't force someone to like me, Lissa. In fact, pretty much everything I tried to do for him just made him like me  _less._ "

"What a cad!" scoffed Maribelle. "He should be grateful for your help!"

"Well, I don't blame him for being cross. I think I've done more harm than good…"

"Robin, you really need to stop putting yourself down all the time!" exclaimed Lissa. "You're amazing, no matter what this jerk or anyone else says!"

"He's not―" Robin promptly shut her mouth. What was she doing? Takumi was cold to her at best and downright vindictive at worst, so why did she feel like she had to defend him? Was this a side effect of the switching?

"Robin?"

"Never mind. You're both right."

"Of course we are!" exclaimed Maribelle. "And you, Robin, need to reconsider your taste in men."

"Oh, for the love of the gods…" Robin groaned.

Upon returning to camp, Robin checked in with Chrom and Say'ri and quickly looked over their purchased supplies. The food and weapons would last them a couple more weeks. If all went well, the war would be over well before then.

Robin "borrowed" an empty potato sack from the mess hall before returning to her tent. She quickly stuffed the kimono and sandals inside, tied the sack closed with twine, and wrote "DO NOT OPEN" in large capital letters on it before covering the whole thing with random books and maps. If Takumi found the kimono, she might just die of embarrassment. Just thinking about him caused the day's events to replay in her head, and her face flushed.

_I can't believe those two! I don't love Takumi! I mean, he's got a nice body and all, but he can't stand me. All those insults he scribbled on me prove it. Besides, all I ever do is make his life harder. Things would never work out between us._

Despite that, part of her wished Takumi would be a little more cordial with her. She knew he wasn't all bad―his retainers and siblings had said as much, and he had even gone out of his way to protect Kiragi when he could have let someone else do it. But whenever Takumi wrote to her, his words were either devoid of emotion or filled with anger. He had even reminded her to not speak of the time she spent in his body despite the fact she was already well aware of that. It was like he was purposely trying to keep his distance.

Robin sighed. The best thing she could do for Takumi right now was to respect his wishes and try not to cause any more trouble for him. Trying to reach out would probably just push him further away. Besides, she had other things to worry about. Her nightmare still troubled her, and she wasn't sure how much time she had before it took place. Based on the rate they were acquiring the Gemstones, she suspected it might not be far off.

_I'd better tell Chrom and Basilio about that vision tonight. I'm sure the three of us can come up with a plan to stop it._

There was just one problem that remained: the switching. Robin hadn't been able to tell Takumi about Basilio, and now that someone had potentially discovered one of her letters, she couldn't risk writing the truth to him. Her only choices now were to either leave Takumi in the dark and potentially expose him to danger or confess her secret to Basilio.

_What a mess… Takumi's going to be furious with me. Again._

She resigned herself to the inevitable lecture and took comfort in the fact that she'd rather he be angry than hurt. She'd nearly gotten him killed once before, and she wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. Until they solved the mystery of the switches, keeping him safe was her responsibility. Even if he hated her and never wanted to see her again, she would not abandon him.

She'd made a promise to be better and she intended to keep it, no matter how prickly that prince got.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays! I wasn't in time for Christmas, but at least I squeezed out another chapter before the end of the year. I liken my writing to a leaky faucet. It's a slow, but usually consistent drip. I did go on vacation for a week and didn't write at all during that time, but for the most part I've been squeezing out this story bit by bit, and I'm gonna keep trying to do that.
> 
> By the way, I've been very surprised at how much attention this story has gotten. While there are few comments, I keep getting occasional guest kudos out of the blue, including during the week I was on vacation. I really appreciate that you're enjoying the story! I'll keep working hard for you guys!


End file.
